


Prophecies of Sin

by johnny_topside



Category: Chrono Trigger
Genre: F/F, F/M, Incest, Multi, Orgy, Sex, Soap Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 09:59:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 69,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12252084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnny_topside/pseuds/johnny_topside
Summary: Magus travels back to the Kingdom of Zeal but how far will he go to preserve his cover in the face of Queen Zeal and Schala's attentions?





	1. Deception

Chapter 1- Deception

Maude Lebowski: Lord. You can imagine where it goes from here.  
The Dude: He fixes the cable?  
Maude Lebowski: Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey.

 

Magus had been living in Zeal Palace for a month when his plans for revenge had taken a decidedly twisted turn. He had made good use of unexpectedly being thrown back to the hoary old age of his youth and things had been proceeding like clockwork until that day he had begun to lose control. It had all started with an odd request. The Queen, his mother in fact, had requested him privately in the palace gardens. At the time though he had been more concerned if it meant a reprimand or if she was actually planning on take him further into her confidence. An invite to the gardens likely meant the latter, but you could never tell with her.

He strode the golden halls of the palace, the steel buckles of his boots clicking ominously with each step. His dark blue cloak and it's tall pointy hood concealed him almost head to toe and anyone who cared to get a better look at his face would only meet an expression of carefully arranged apathy. The shadow the hood cast doused the fire in his eyes so he always had it on. It really was a flimsy disguise he reflected, but it did the job and kept most of the servants at arms length. Often they would make it a point to get out of his way in a hurry and whisper behind cupped hands as he passed.

It was early afternoon and the palace was all sunlight and bustle with activity. He strode up a great set of stairs and unexpectedly came almost face to face with Dalton and two of his masked Lasher cronies leaning against a wall. They had been talking quietly but abruptly stopped when he came within earshot. Dalton curled his lip and glared at him with a seething contempt in his eyes. Both his eyes, Magus noted, but that would change soon enough he knew. He favored them with a blank look in response and kept walking on without breaking stride. Dalton's popularity had taken a decided slide since his arrival as the Prophet. Magus hadn't hesitated to undercut him for his own personal gain, making Dalton look like a fool had just been a bonus.

He came to the gardens, a great white stone veranda with pillars that stretched high above his head. Connecting these was a criss crossing framework from which vines and flowers of every color hung, as well as various hanging fruits within easy access. Below them floated a sea of white airy clouds drifting like lazy waves. All the plants were engineered to thrive all year round with minimal gardening just to create this opulent setting reserved only for royals and their guests. He had come here often as a child but till now he'd been barred access.

His mother the Queen, his sister, and his younger self were sitting at table finishing their lunch. Magus walked over and went to one knee to show his “obedience”, until Zeal beckoned for him to rise and sit. There was one empty seat and he slid into it silently, feeling intensely uncomfortable. He had not been physically this close to any of them since his arrival and he could feel his breath threatening to catch in his throat. His beloved sister Schala was as radiant as he remembered. She was eighteen, tall and slender, and had a kind of sad, wistful kind of beauty. Her light blue hair spilling in a torrent down the side of her face and over her purple robes, framing her kind green eyes which even now reflected distress...and fear. Beside her sat Janus, glaring daggers at him. As always he felt a weird kind of vertigo seeing his younger self, like matter and anti-matter meeting. Zeal sipped tea nonchalantly as the rest of them sat in stony silence that seemed to stretch for an eternity.

“Princess Schala...what a pleasure it is to-” he started awkwardly before Schala dropped her cup with a clatter.

“May I be excused.” She said said quietly. It wasn't a question so much as an expression of sorrow.. Janus clutched her arm and if looks could kill his would have cut Magus to pieces. Magus for his part merely peered out at them from beneath his shadowed hood where nobody here could see him or truly hurt him, where the pain didn't show. Queen Zeal took another deliberate sip.

“Fine. Just make sure you continue your daily communing with the Mammon Machine. I also want to talk to you later.”

Schala quickly got up and gave Magus one last troubled look before hurriedly walking away and Janus got up and ran after her without asking to be excused. His mother ignored this utterly. He had been a rude brat Magus remembered, partly by inclination, partly because almost nothing he did seemed to matter to her either way. They were on their way to the door when Magus clearly heard Janus say “I don't like him.”

That wasn't surprising he conceded. One of his first prophecies had outed the Gurus' secret meetings, conspiring to delay the construction of the Ocean Palace. He had remembered it from his childhood when that buffoon Dalton and his secret police had sniffed them out. Magus had felt a slight twinge of guilt betraying them like that as he had nothing against them, but it was destined. So he had beaten Dalton to the punch cementing his own position in the court and earning Zeal's trust while making both Dalton and his agents look like incompetent blunders. The only drawback was he had completely alienated his sister. Every time he glimpsed her from a distance the pain of losing her was fresh all over again. Not this time, not ever again, he thought grimly. Things were now moving in the right direction and Magus was in a position to steer events to ensure that when Lavos inevitably arose he would be there to end it's misbegotten life. For that moment he would destroy any and all would try to impede him. There were more ugly betrayals in his future, he was certain of it.

“Never mind all that.” said Zeal absently. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet your Majesty.”

“Help yourself then .” There wasn't much left but he took a sandwich as Zeal finished her tea.  
She was in her early forties but wore it very well, with high cheek bones, arched eyebrows, piercing green eyes and a small mouth that was often pursed in cruel amusement or cold rage. Her massive blue hair spilled in every direction down to below her waist and was teased over the top of her gold crown in great spikes to accent it. Gold glittered gaudily from her wrists, ears, and neck. She looked and was he knew from personal experience, a true queen bitch. Her eyes were hard and had already begun in moments of stress to take on the strange tilt of insanity.

He cursed himself later for not noticing right away. There had been tip offs. Instead of her normal robes she wore a yellow dress, much too casual and low cut for her fashion sense. It showed her prominent cleavage and she was wearing a good deal more eyeshadow than normal. Perhaps because he didn't think of her at all that way it hadn't came to him, but still, he wondered how he could have let those details slip by him.

“I called you here to let you know I am well satisfied with your service so far Prophet. Your prophecies have been mostly accurate.” Magus took a breath. He had made some small mistakes when he first came to the palace, but luckily he had been right about the important events. He may have been a poor conversationalist but he prided himself on his skill as a liar, it was a skill he had honed for years among the Mystics.

“You honor me too much your Majesty. The future paints in broad strokes, it's often difficult to correctly interpret the details.”

“Still, outing those pesky Gurus was impressive and saved me a great deal of trouble and for that you have my thanks. Not even Dalton seemed to know what they had been planning” She smiled an easy smile and he returned it with some effort. Dalton had been within a hair of knowing. Magus had cut him off at the knees by just a matter of days and there was no way for him to take even partial credit now without looking like a petty whiner. Magus decided he would play his trump card for the week.

“Yes, about Dalton. I thought you might like to know something.” Zeal sat forward suddenly, her expression clouding.

“What is it Prophet? Is he planning on betraying me too?” Oh this was fantastic that she trusted him now enough to suspect Dalton at a mere suggestion. Magus thought about simply lying but decided there was no need.

“No, nothing as serious as that. He'll lose an eye soon. His right as a matter of fact.”

“Oh really? How will we he lose it? Will this affect things?”

“Only his temper really. I just thought you might be interested. He'll gloat at the wrong moment after abusing an Earthbound slave and that Earthbound will jab him right in the eye with a nearby stick.” Zeal laughed a genuine laugh and slapped his knee, which Magus found odd. She was never familiar with anyone except to strike them and she had never touched him before.

“His first big war wound from an Earthbound, how utterly delicious! Do you suppose we should warn him?”

“We could,” Magus said with what he hoped sounded like grave consideration. “But really the future you seek is more likely to come to pass if we allow some things to unfold as they're meant to be. If you were to warn him I'm sure he could avoid losing the eye, but then you would never know whether you can trust my prophecies.” Her smile widened and reached her eyes. He didn't care for the way she was looking at him, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

“You're ambitious and ruthless for a court seer, I like that. Tell me more.”

He had spun her a web of half truths and utter lies for the next half hour, playing off her insecurities, suspicions and vanity. There were some things that might not come to pass now that he had begun interfering in the time line, and other things he knew for certain would, and these he would save for when he was backed into a corner. It was the first time he had ever been alone with her and she seemed almost warm and natural that afternoon.

“Walk me to the door.” Zeal said when he had exhausted his stock of lies for the moment. Magus walked behind her slowly at a respectful distance as they talked but found no matter how slow he walked somehow she walked slower, until she was practically arm and arm with him. She had become uncomfortably close and he started as she brushed against him.

“Oh!” she cried, and seemed to trip against his foot. She tottered for a moment and he reflexively grabbed both her arms to steady her. She stumbled again, very unnaturally because he had a strong grip on her and yet she fell bodily against him. It was a strange, awkward motion and he half fell, half landed on his ass with Zeal draped over him. She lingered for a long moment like that till he managed to get his wits back and helped her back up.

“Oh my, how clumsy I was! I'm so sorry, my mind was somewhere else. How can I make this up to you?” Her voice was coy, almost coquettish, and for the first time it began to dawn on him what she was suggesting.

“It was my fault entirely your Majesty. Please forgive me, there's no need to trouble yourself.” He almost stuttered as he talked, and he felt hot blood rushing to his face.

“No, no, anyone can see it was my fault. Please, I insist. Why don't you join me for dinner this evening?”

“In the dining hall?” He asked stupidly. He already took his meals there most days with the rest of the court. She put her hand against her mouth and chuckled that annoying laugh of hers.

“Why of course not. A private dinner in my chambers, just the two of us. I'd love to hear more of what the future has in store.” Her eyes slid up under long lashes to meet his, teasing and warning him.

“I would...love to.”

“Wonderful, then I'll see you at 7 o'clock. Do be prompt and...” She dusted off his cloak slightly with her hand. “Do clean up.

“I'm looking forward to it your Highness.”

“Then I hope we'll have a stimulating conversation.” He would come to regret later that he missed her choice of words.

 

The hours passed quickly, and Magus decided to clear his mind with a long, hot shower. He was slightly disturbed by some of the signals Zeal had been sending. He stood naked with his hands against the tiled wall, letting the hot water run over his scalp. It helped to relax and steady him and it was a luxury he fully appreciated as an adult. Particularly after his initial trek across the frozen landscape of the surface when he had arrived in this era. Back in the filthy future there was no hot running water. The rune on the wall that governed the shower glowed a dull red, indicating the temperature, and he could change it by tracing a pattern with his finger.

There was a soft sneeeze behind him, and he turned around instinctively, water and his long hair intermingling in his eyes, blinding him. There was a slight gasp and then a quick shuffle of feet and he caught a glimpse of one of the maids scurrying out. He began to blunder out then thought better of it and grabbed a towel to cover himself before stepping out still dripping wet. He caught sight of her against for just a split second and then heard the door close softly.

He stood for a moment, regarding the room, and then began to dry himself. It didn't look like she had been cleaning, and nothing appeared to be stolen or tampered with. How strange, he thought. The servants all gave him a wide berth and had never come into his room uninvited before. He recognized the maid as one of his mother's, a middle aged somewhat chubby woman with frizzy hair. Surely she would have heard the shower...perhaps she thought he had left it on? No, it was absurd. Then he felt a flush of embarrassment that she had seen him naked. Had she been peeping on him he wondered? Mentally he had shrugged. No probably just curiosity, give the old girl a thrill he supposed

 

It was really spacious in Zeal's bedroom, big enough on it's own to be an apartment really, with the finest furniture and art. Tapestries and wine red curtains billowed ever so slightly from the breeze coming in from a balcony that opened out almost literally into the darkened sky. Two of her attendants stood by and Zeal reclining in an evening dress more appropriate than what she'd been wearing earlier. A candleabra burned at the center of the small table that had been set.

The main course was a roast Z'tan bird with lemon sauce, followed by asparagus, truffles, braised tomatos and two kinds of bread with various fruit marmalades. She had asked him to select a wine for him and he had picked a sweet and strong red Mari wine that seemed close to what he'd grown up with the Mystics. He wanted to keep a clear head, but the wine helped him calm down and make it through the tedious small talk.

They talked of small court matters until she dismissed her wooden faced servants after they had finished the first course. Then Zeal steepled her hands and watched him intently.

“So tell me more about yourself Prophet. You've served me faithfully this past month and I hardly know anything about you.” Magus had concocted an elaborate backstory, not the greatest or most believable but infinitely preferable to the proof.

“Well, I'm an orphan who never knew my parents. I was raised at the base of Mount Woe by a holy man, an outcast from Zeal who trained me in the ways of magic and divination. As I said when we met when I became skilled enough to see the future that awaited our fair kingdom I knew I had to do everything I could to bring it about.” Her brow registered disapproval.

“I hope you don't harbor any heretical ideas from your teacher..” She was as infuriating as he remembered, but he found it was easier tolerating her as a servant rather than a son.

“Believe me when I say I only want to bring about the future you seek, a world shining with your glory and the power of Lavos.”

“Good answer.”

Gradually he was able to turn her attention from him by asking her impersonal questions about herself that he already knew the answers to. She was quite vain and had no modesty whatsoever as she talked endlessly about Schala. Not about her as a person, he noted, but only about how popular she was, how talented she was at magic, and how wonderful it was that she was able to draw out Lavo's power with such skill. Queen Zeal attributed all this to herself and her quality as a devoted, sacrificing mother.

“How about Prince Janus, how is he doing?”

“Another glass of wine?” She asked. She never did mention Janus, even once, and Magus didn't bother to ask again. Instead Zeal talked about the Ocean Palace, about her insipid plans for Lavos and immortality. By the time she had moved on from that tediousness the sea of clouds had turned silver with the rising of the moon. As the wine did it's work she finally began to loosen up and talked of court gossip and the stress of ruling.

“I haven't had dinner like this in a long time. There's no time to relax between projects, if I don't personally over see them Dalton or some other mental defective will just screw things up. It's nothing but endless demands from my subjects, from my children. I haven't had a dinner date in years.”

“I'm surprised,” he said, and meant it. “I would expect you would get a lot of gentleman callers.” Aside from slightly tight skin on her neck and hands she was still in her prime and attractive still. He immediately regretted saying it after it had slipped out, regretted even thinking it. He had had too much wine to get through the rougher patches, and the starlit sky and candle light made him forget himself.

“You're sweet, but not for years I'm afraid. There's just too much to be done, no time for rest, no time for fun and games. No time for sex.”

It got really quiet and the moment drew out and became heavy and awkward. Magus felt hot blood rush to his cheeks and became extremely interested in his napkin. Zeal for her part gave him a shrewd look.

“Oh...oh. Excuse me. More wine?”

The conversation was stilted after that, and he wound up drinking more wine than he had planned to cover for his distracted responses to her conversation. She was putting away a lot as well but didn't seem to be flagging as he fervently wished for the dinner to be over. It seemed he would get through it without further incident when he felt a soft pressure against his groin. He started for a moment and then realized Zeal was pressing against him there with her foot. She sat, nibbling a small biscuit with overly dainty bites as if nothing was happening, He foolishly allowed himself to think for a moment it had been an accident, but the pressure came again, retreated, and then began to rub down his thigh. The toes wiggled, and he smiled the smile of a bad card player at her.

“Dessert?” She asked, her voice a little too chipper.

“No thank you.”

“Well how about coffee? Tea? Or...me?” She smiled sensuously.

“Actually I'm a little full. Kind of sleepy actually, that food is really working on me.”

“Ha. Such lame excuses You know a little bird told me an interesting thing today. About you.” Zeal was slightly flushed, and sipped her wine absently, but he could feel her eyes on him. Magus swallowed his food deliberately.

“Oh?

“Yes. I've heard you are quite...unique looking. I would be interested to see for myself what a young man who hides his face all the time looks like.”

“I have nothing to hide.” He lifted his hood just slightly and thrust out his chin so she could see him better. She fed herself a small dainty, followed by another sip of wine. She seemed very unimpressed.

“I've tried being gentle but you've been quite dense the whole evening. Take your hood off you clod or you'll never be entrusted with any important affairs. You know exactly what I'm asking for.” Magus bristled. Damn her head games, and damn that maid he thought.

“Why so hesitant? Are you ugly?”

“Yes, that's it.” Her smile was thin, like a razor.

“Let me be the judge of that. Now remove it.”

He hesitated only for a moment before doing so. She continued to nibble on her food silently, eying him critically: The blue hair with white streaks, the pale skin, the pointed ears, the blood red eyes. He sipped his wine to cover his nervouness and returned her gaze with what he hoped looked like confidence. He wasn't worried about being recognized; living amongst the Mystics had saw to that. Still he must have looked completely foreign to her. After long moments of she spoke.

“It seems I've heard correctly. Do you know what else I've heard?”

“No your majesty.”

“I've heard you have a strong body...and a nice cock.” He stiffened at her words, alarmed. What the hell had she just said? She was smiling lazily and twirling a finger around the edge of her wine glass. He had no idea what to say.

“Really.”

“Yes, really. So have you ever been with an older woman before?” Her finger continued to make its slow circuit around the glass edge and her eyes held his.

“Yes, your majesty. Though it's been some years.” Though not nearly as old as you, you hateful hag he added mentally. Only she wasn't the hag he remembered as a child. She couldn't have been more than fifteen years older than he was now and she really didn't look it. He had been with women younger than she was who weren't nearly as fit.

“Well then...would you like to fuck your Queen?” Her voice was casual, and she shifted per head against her hand in a laid back posture, amused. Magus felt paralyzed, the blood in his veins turning to ice. He had no idea how she wanted him to answer or what game she was playing.

“Your majesty...”, he hesitated, hedging. “I've given up the pleasures of the flesh as part of my calling. Wordly distractions cloud my visions of the future. You're a...very attractive woman, but you understand I only want to serve you and the kingdom as best I can.”

“So you can't have sex, is that what I'm hearing?” She favored him with a hard and flat look.

“No your Majesty...unfortunately. Of course if I wasn't a prophet I wouldn't hesitate, I would be a very lucky man.” Her dreadful stare melted into sardonic amusement and she laughed softly to herself before standing up and walking over to him. He tensed up, ready for an attack, but she merely laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Don't be nervous,” she cooed “Go ahead and eat.”

Still wary, he slowly brought a forkful of food to his mouth and chewed while looking at her the whole time. He forced himself to go through the movements without tasting as she simply stood with her hand on his shoulder looking...almost motherly.

“Yes, go ahead. You'll need your strength if you're going to serve me.” She breathed in a husky voice like dripping honey and he swallowed with difficulty. She traced a ruby red fingernail across the length of his pointed ears playfully and he felt himself shudder involuntarily. She wore a slightly smug expression on her face now, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

“You must think I'm testing you. Well nothing could be further from the truth. Don't read into what I say, just follow my instructions. Stand up.” He did, Magus was almost a head taller than her. Her eyes slid up to meet his, her expression was unreadable. Zeal stood there, hands on her hips expectantly regarding him.

“Take off this cloak. It's rude to wear such a thing when you're dining with your Queen.”

He unfastened the clasp and let it drop to the floor. He was dressed in a sleeveless tunic and leather breeches, standing at his full height as she continued eying him. Her lips quirked as she slid closer now and ran her hand appreciably up his muscular arms to his shoulders. It's just a game to her, he told himself. She won't, she can't take it further. He concentrated on the far wall, not daring to stay locked in her gaze as she slipped behind him and began to use her other hand to caress his arm. He felt a nibble on his ear and then almost shuddered and pulled away as he felt her tongue go inside his ear. One of her hands now slipped into his tunic and he felt two of her fingers slide down his chest, exploring, one of them found a nipple and she traced a circle. This seemed to go on forever until finally she pulled away to face him again.

“Why don't you move Prophet? Don't tell me you don't want this.” Her dress was very tight against her heaving bust and the seductive curves of her hips. He wanted to scream no right in her ear, but restrained himself. He had to play it smart.

“I'm truly sorry, but-”

“Yes, your vows. Let's test them shall we?” The sneer was apparent in her voice as her hand reached out and caressed his stomach before moving down and stopping at his waistband. Her eyes flicked down briefly to his breeches before meeting his again. He stood stiffly, not daring to meet her smoking gaze and stuck out his chin keeping his eyes forward and saying nothing.

“You should take the rest off now, I think. Or do I have to do it?” Her voice was artic, but there was an undertone of anticipation, of surety in his surrender. Inwardly, he was panicking. She clearly didn't recognize him and he wasn't about to tell her who he really was. He had to walk a delicate tightrope, somehow staying in her good graces so he would have access to Lavos when the time was right. Refusing her would anger her for sure but Magus wasn't about to lay his own mother.

“Your majesty...” he began, summoning all the charm he ever would have, “I wouldn't presume to sully your glory with my base touch.”

“Silence!” She commanded, her voice cracking a register, and he remembered for a moment just how cold and terrible she'd been in his childhood. “You will obey my crown you clod. If you can't follow my orders, perhaps you should skulk back to the Earthbound and see if they want their palms read.” Her eyes were fiery, and warned him any wrong answer wouldn't be met with kindly. It couldn't be helped. Silently he stripped, until his clothing lay in a heap beside him. His toned body was exposed before her as her eyes greedily roved over every inch of him, from his strong shoulders to his chiseled abs, down to the pale scape of his manhood. He felt humiliated as she moved closer and with one delicate hand she cupped his balls, with another she started stroking his cock softly. Her cool hand shocked him as much as the act itself as it slid slowly down the base of his shaft to the tip, measuring, before letting it rest in her palm.

“Your body is everything I'd hoped, and your cock is not bad at all.” Said Zeal. “The length is impressive and it's certainly thick enough.” She might have been critiquing a steak. She squeezed him tslightly and her smile widened at his discomfort as she resumed stroking.

Just under the ticking of the clock he could hear her breath, she was very close to him. The full lips parted slightly, begging for a kiss, and her eyes were hungry. Against his will he was hardening within her experienced hands despite his fear and revulsion. Inside he was terrified at how effortlessly she had maneuvered him. He had expected to grovel at her feet till the time was right, but he had never expected he would have to go this far. I thought you were willing to do whatever it took to get your revenge he reproached himself. She's a tool, nothing but a tool to be used...too bad she felt the same about him.

His tool had now hardened to it's full length, Zeal was having to make longer and longer strokes, and they were both breathing hard. It was incredibly awkward so he kissed her hurriedly, before he could break the kiss she had slipped her tongue in and flicked his briefly. He felt the phantom after-sensation of the pressure of her lips on his. Her mouth tasted of mint and wine.

“Young man, despite your protests you're quite hard. Your shyness is adorable, but this big fellow isn't shy at all is he? I think he's ready for the heights of pleasure.” Her voice practically purred, self-assured, her green eyes like a cat ready to pounce. Stepping back, she undid her clasp, and her dress slid softly to the floor.

Although Queen Zeal was in her early forties she had always passed for mid thirties easily, and her body did not disappoint. She had reaped all the benefits of motherhood with no signs of stretching or sag, her voluptuous body was ripe and mature. A lacy lavender bra hugged her magnificent breasts tightly, her golden necklace lay between them accenting their swell. Her body curved like an hourglass down to a trim waist and shapely hips. A lavender garter belt circled her smooth stomach, with stockings of the same color. The skimpy panties lying between two silky thighs had a floral design, and showed more than they covered. He didn't want to think of her like that, not with that body. It wasn't like him to be timid but it seemed like all he could do.

“Now sit.” Zeal commanded, pointing at his chair, and he realized he had been gaping. She sounded exactly like she was ordering a dog. He sat back down in the chair and forced himself to meet her look calmly. His cock stood like an absurd exclamation mark as she sidled over to him giving him a closer look at her ample tits and then circled around the chair, tracing her fingertips along his shoulders and neck as she did so. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders and squeezed. He could just barely feel the swell of her breasts against his back and then she leaned even closer. They felt like two firm pillows. Her hand snaked down ever so gently, a light phantom's touch and caressed his chest and then his stomach. She bent down and touched him ever so slightly underneath the shaft again and he felt it twitch in response involuntarily. He had to put a stop to this.

“Your Majesty, again I'm honored to serve you but I think-” Her other hand moved to cover his mouth, but softly, as she continued the caress .

“Poor Prophet...such self control. So proud, so, mmm, stiff.” Her tone was mocking and sultry at the same time and something about it made him want to throw her down and tear off her panties before he remembered himself.

“You should learn what it means to serve the Queen. Being a good servant can be it's own reward.”

She came around the chair and bent over him and began tickling his sack now and tracing lines on his thighs and cock. Her expression was quite serious and her lips were so close to it, he was sure she was going to start sucking him at any moment, and he was alternately repulsed and aroused. He wasn't sure if he could hold out much longer. She simply went on teasing his poor cock as he gripped the armrests hard. She then sat on his knees facing him and gazed into his eyes with that superior half smirk on her face as she leaned closer and laced her arms around his head. His cock lay between their stomachs, burning hot and frustrated and her breasts were just below his face. She was incredibly well endowed. He caught himself wanting to know what her nipples looked like and resisted an urge to bury his face in between them. She shook her chest deliberately and they jiggled slightly. He stared despite himself and then suddenly she slapped him across the face. It was a light slap and really didn't hurt but it surprised him and he stared at her for a moment in open shock, which seemed to really please her.

“Eyes up here Propet, I thought you were so righteous?” She closed her eyes and leaned in. She was almost an inch away from him and he closed his eyes anticipating another kiss. It never came and he opened them again to see she was still grinning. Her emerald eyes held his red ones and she began to grind against him. It seemed like she would upend the chair and he began to move his hands to her hips to steady them when she slapped him again.

“No touching either, I don't recall giving you permission.” Oh you twisted bitch he thought. She positioned herself now over one of his knees and dragged herself across it, gradually rubbing harder and quickening her pace. He could feel her becoming hotter and wetter there against his knee until she raised her ass and moaned in satisfaction. Magus' pale skin was flushed, and his erection was throbbing.

“So can you finally be as honest as your body now? Do you want more?”

“Yes.” He was lying at some level, but his member told a different tale..

“Then I'll do more...” With that she turned and sat against him. Her panties covered very little of her ass and he could see almost everything. Her cheeks were heavy porcelain ovals and he felt his rod slip between them as she bounced against him. Only that thin cover of fabric seperated him from his mother. She quickened her pace, and the urge to simply grab those creamy cheeks and stab into her was maddening. Only who she was stopped him. He would have fucked anyone else silly in such a situation.

“Do you like it? Do you want to fuck me?”

“Yes...” No, he didn't, he didn't know.

“What's that? I thought I heard a mouse squeak.”

“Yes!”

Abruptly, the pleasurable pressure left him and Zeal stood before him again with her arms folded.

“That,” she said “Was for making me wait.” She examined his indignant red cock with a look of smug satisfaction and Magus felt both profound frustration and an awesome flood of relief. She had just been playing games with him after all and now she would send him away, content to have humiliated him. That was her style as he remembered it. He took a long breath before arranging his face in what he hoped was a look of disappointment.

“My apologies my Queen for putting you in this situation. I can't read women the way I read the future and I thought perhaps you wanted more from me.”

“You talk way too much when there are other things for your mouth to be doing. Would you really still refuse these?”

Zeal abrupty undid her bra and her globes popped out, they were quite simply the biggest tits he had ever seen. Round and full, was all he could think, almost unreally so. Like ripe melons, they curved out well past her chest before curving up ever so slightly, the pink nipples perking up into the air in the middle of all that flesh. Next she stepped out of the panties, and he found himself looking at her slit. There was a small strip of dark blue pubic hair above it, looking infinitely edible above her delta. He wasn't at all pleased to see all this; he was terrified and disgusted, but nobody had told his cock, which stayed stubbornly at attention pointing at Zeal. When he didn't move she grasped him by it and led him to a wall sized mirror. Facing the mirror she put one foot on a small stool and stood waiting, her gorgeous bust, her curvaceous body before him in the mirror, her back arched against him. He knew what she wanted, but he didn't dare move. Silently he prayed for a way out, some interruption, but it was going to happen, it was fate.

Her hips widened before him, tapering down deliciously into large apple shaped buns, her blue hair cascading down the length of her taut back almost reached her ass before terminating in a small ponytail at the end. With a sigh she moved one of his hands to her breast, and the other down to her vulva, and began to kneed herself with his hands. It couldn't be helped. Sucking in his inner courage he began to squeeze her tits and explore her steadily wettening cherry. They really were as big as melons, he had large hands but they still spilled out between his fingers. He bounced one in his hand, feeling the weight, then bit her neck and softly tweaked her nipple with his thumb and finger. She squealed approvingly and put more pressure on the hand exploring between her legs. Taking her other hand she took his cock and pressed it against her pussy, rubbing herself over along the length as she watched him fondle her body in the mirror.

Magus tried to think of Zeal as just another woman, a stranger who didn't even know who he really was. He hadn't had sex for almost two years and her body was a living wet dream. He didn't know how he would face himself after this, but all he could do was play for time. Still she was brazen and it was taking all his self control. The mirror gave him a full view of what was doing to her and it was unbearably erotic. He moved his long fingers across her labia before slipping in, and exploring her inner walls. The warm and wet sensation was familiar to him but the fact that he had never expected to be pleasuring Zeal of all people made the act taboo and mysterious. She moaned as he used his finger to thrust inside her while occasionally slipping out to rub her clit in soft circles. She was very wet now. He could smell her dew mixing with with her jasmine perfume, and feel her heat against his cock, one thrust was all it would take and he would be inside her. As she pushed her ass against him, her cheeks rubbing against every inch of his thighs, he quickened his pace, caressing her moist insides in a way he knew women loved.

Just maybe she'd be satisfied with this if he could manage to bring her to climax and then come up with some kind of plausible excuse and duck out. Maybe if he could go flacid somehow, give a terrible performance, he'd never find himself in this situation again. It would be incredibly embarrassing but he was already embarrassed. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine Ozzie naked, the foul creatures that had served him in his castle rutting with eachother, Lavos, anything and everything he hated. Naturally Magus imagined his mother. Berating and terrorizing he and sister as children. He held onto this, and let his contempt for her and his revenge fantasies flow through him. He thought of all her infuriating ways, all her arrogance and the depreciating things she had said to him when he was younger. All the crimes she had committed and had yet to commit. He had dreamed of making her pay.

He imagined Zeal on her knees, her edicts and insults forgotten, begging to be fucked. Gods, that wasn't what he had wanted. It was maddening, he could easily imagine what it would feel like ramming against her. A very real part of him wanted to and his fingers moved instinctually. He poked inside her with two fingers and flicked her folds at the same time, caressing up and down. Zeal seemed to shudder and her legs tightened around his hand as he quickened his pace. Suddenly he felt her gush inside in a way that he'd never managed with another woman. Slowly he removed his soaked fingers and breathed out slowly and prepared to make his escape. It had been too close.

In one motion Zeal turned and pushed him hard onto the canopied bed; he almost lost his balance and fell over the side and then she was on him. Magus felt a moment of terror as she opened her mouth, and before he could react she had engulfed his staff to the hilt Her head bobbed up and down, her tongue running up and down the shaft and twirling expertly along the head. She flicked a long strand of her blue hair out of her eye and her green eyes smoldered. She removed him from her mouth with a light pop and licked all the way from the base to the tip making sure that Magus saw. The gold crown on her brow glittered slightly in the candle light, a contrast to the lewdity of the act and heightening the amazing sensation. His cock was being sucked by the Queen of Zeal, his own mother who he had despised for years. There was nothing he could do about it, and it felt so good he wasn't sure he really wanted to.

IHe thought briefly of casting a spell and incinerating her, it seemed the only way to keep it from going further and it was no less than she deserved, but he needed her resources to locate and raise Lavos. He had already done so much and killed so many to get to this point; it was just one more thing to be disgusted at himself with. It was difficult to think all of this as he felt any self control being washed away by the pleasure from the warmth of Zeal's throat and her smooth, skilled tongue.

With a slurp she finished, and with that lightning quickness she straddled him. Her expression was triumphant, gloating really. Grasping his shaft to guide it she sat down on him, pushing his cock into herself as deep as she could. Magus closed his eyes and grunted, overcome with the hot and wet sensation of her, like a pink haze, as she grasped his rod and squeezed with her vaginal muscles and then began to impale herself again and again on her son's cock.

It was done, and what happened now didn't matter he told himself. He may as well do his duty. Zeal's ass smacked against his lap heavily, the curves pressing down on his thighs, driving him crazy as they quickened. Magus felt his cock getting slicker and finally he grabbed both her buns and began to move his own hips, pumping upward as hard as he could. Her big twins heaved above him as she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. Her hair hung like a curtain around them as she drove down against him like a jackhammer. Pushing himself up, he managed to move into a sitting position and first licked and then bit one luscious nipple, and then the other. She began to moan now and with each hard thrust she moaned louder. He lifted and pushed her back against the silken bedspread, her eyes opening wide before her long legs intertwined around him as he channeled all his hatred and pain into each thrust.

“Harder,” she demanded “Give it to me harder!”. Something in her tone brought back memories and Magus thrust into her even faster and deeper, hitting her cervix while he teased her clit. He found a rhythm and pounded her until she couldn't even speak except to moan. Her fingernails dug into his back and then his buttocks as he banged her. He fit one of her nipples into his mouth, and then most of her tit, and sucked, leaving marks in her flesh. They went like that for awhile, neither of them backing down until he grew steadily worried that he wouldn't be able to cum and he would be fucking his mother all night. Finally, after what must have been an hour he felt himself on the verge of erupting and began to pull out.

Zeal's eyes flashed at him and with a malicious kind of grin she tightened her arms and her pussy coiled around him as she bucked her hips. Helpless, his dick pulsed and they both cried out in unison as he released hot cum inside her and she squeezed tighter still, urging every last drop, until a minute later he knew he was done and could feel it pooling inside her. With a deeper self loathing than he'd ever known he pulled out of her and rolled onto his side. He wasn't sure if it was the most deplorable thing he'd ever done, but it felt that way. Still worse, it had been the best most intense sex of Magus' life. He turned his head expecting her to be falling asleep, but instead Zeal lay on one arm, that smirk on her face again.

“Besta belto” she murmured, touching the tip of his penis before he could even register what was happening. There was a brief orange flicker and suddenly he was erect again, stone hard and tingling like he wanted to burst. She examined her handiwork approvingly and then turned over while lifting one leg high into the air and thrusting her round ass at him.

“Start right here Prophet, we have a long night and I'm not finished with you yet.” Her curves beckoned to Magus. The spell worked on him and he felt himself losing control as his vision went hazy. Questions went out of his mind, he felt only the need to ravish her. It was far more potent than any wine or drug. He grasped Zeal's thigh with one hand and a large breast with another and pushed the head of his cock into her wet spot and began to give it to her in earnest.

“Oh yes, fuck me just like that!” she crooned as he quickened his pace. It felt good beyond all belief and the wickedness of the act and the guilt only heightened the intensity and pleasure. Giving himself over to her spell, Magus began sliding his cock out to the tip and then giving her his full length as he played with her soft mounds and tweaked her clitoris. He pushed in still deeper, his mind blank except for the lust and the desire to hear her exhortations turn to animal moans. Her voice taking on a higher pitch, her bottom ramming against his thighs again and again. He pulled her mouth to his and kissed his mother forcefully. Without hesitation he let his tongue explore Zeal's mouth and she responded in kind, thrusting and intertwining with his. He drove into her deeply until his balls touched her vulva, her gold earrings rocking back and forth with the rhythm. She grew wetter still and he filled her as deeply as he could, the friction drowning out all reason. His last coherent thought that night was that he would pay her back for this.

 

Authors notes: Between Openoffice and HF's awful text editor it'll be a miracle if this chapter displays properly, so sorry for the formatting. I won't make the mistake of trying to post from my laptop again, 100% CPU usage my ass.

Next chapter: Magus remembers his first experience with Flea and a few maidens in 600 AD if I can fit it. He begins to get closer to Schala, and Zeal isn't satisfied with just one night.


	2. Seduction

Chapter 2: Seduction 

Miles: "The Leather Castle. Chicago's finest dominants and submissives. Fully equipped dungeons. Beginners welcome."  
Joel Goodson: It sounds great, Miles.  
Miles: Here's one! "My daddy used to spank my bare bottom. Now he's gone. Will you take his place? Call Misty." Come on, Joel. You've got to take advantage of this! They come to your house! "Countess Angelique seeks young submissive with large ankles!" This is it! "For a good time in the privacy of your own home, call Jackie: 555-1247." Succinct, to the point, down to business. What do you say? 

 

Magus awoke to the feeling of hot sunlight hitting his eyes as one of the maids drew the curtains. A light breeze wafted in and somewhere a bird called. Blearily he rubbed his eyes and found the simple movement exhausting, he felt like he had been run miles the night before. He lay naked in Queen Zeal's large canopied bed, the silk sheets thrown here and there except for the one draped haphazardly over him. The maid finished tidying up and poured water out of a pitcher into a glass on the nearby nightstand. She handed it to him wordlessly with the ghost of a smile tugging the corners of her mouth as she eyed the scrap of sheet covering his thighs. She looked slightly familiar and he saw it was the maid that had spied on him in the shower from the day before. He drowned several choice remarks with the water as he felt dehydrated and finished the glass before he finally spoke.

“I suppose you know?"

“I do. The Queen gave me instructions to be here when you wake. It's pretty obvious you two didn't just have a sleepover.”

“So do I have you to thank for last night?”

“Not really. Believe me she had already made up her mind about you Prophet. She just wanted to be sure you weren't hiding a third arm in there somewhere...or a third leg. You're welcome by the way.” She winked slightly at him, but unlike his mother she really did look her age and the effect was mortifying. When his grim expression didn't change she coughed nervously.

“The Queen told me that you were excused from court matters for today. She said she has a spell that, well...” Magus was growing impatient and a bit angry with the dizzy maid. Last night had been bad enough but the thought of the rest of the palace or especially Schala knowing was unbearable. Only it wasn't “bad enough” as you so put it, an interior voice said. You loved it.

“Shut up.” He muttered softly. The maid blanched.

“I'm sorry, what?”

“Nothing, forget it. The spell?”

“Well it makes one tireless and full of energy but it takes the starch completely out of you after a few hours. So she let you sleep. It's past noon.” Magus wanted another glass of water and he was starving. He also wanted to go right back to sleep and forget everything that had happened but he had to get up and see what damage had done. He could ponder the implications of fucking his mother later

Anything else?” Magus grunted. The maid leaned in with seriousness.

“The Queen expects you to resume your duties tomorrow at the regular time after you've rested. She also would greatly appreciate your discretion.”“

She can count on it.” He said with real relief. That meant with any luck Zeal wouldn't be telling the whole world what they had done last night. “I take it we can count on yours as well?”

“Of course, I didn't get to where I am by blabbing.” 

“Good, then please bring me my clothes and I'll be on my way.” 

 

After wolfing a huge late breakfast Magus had the idea to walk around the palace and perhaps do some damage control but it took all his energy simply to get back to his room and collapse. His head still felt foggy from whatever spell Zeal had used on him. It hadn't robbed him of his will so much as his resistance and filled him with an excruciating need to fuck. He hadn't felt such desire and frustration since he was a teenager. They had gone at it continuously last night and it had taken all he had to keep up with Zeal. Sexual peak or no he was surprised she would be able to walk today after the drilling he had given her. He felt a sneaking pride at that and doused it with white hot rage. She had raped him really! She was the Queen, how could he say no? 

“You've done as bad, and worse.” Magus muttered to himself. He had used his position when he was king of the Mystics to maneuver women into bed with him for simple physical pleasure...and that had been what passed for "normal" sex. Sex for Magus was a distraction, better to just yield to temptation and get it out of the way. He blamed the previous night's lapse on not attending to those needs. He hadn't had sex in years it was true, as his plans to summon Lavos there had been more than enough to keep busy. Still he had been more than two dozen women away from virginity by that time. That spell Zeal had used on him, Magus had seen Flea use something similar before. She had wanted to use it on him once in fact. That had been his first time, when he hadn't known any better. Unbidden his mind drifted back to his war against the human race in that grubby future era. 

He had been alone with everything he knew destroyed in what he thought of as the primitive post-apocalyptic remains of civilization. The Kingdom of Zeal had fallen and the Earth below had grown warm, lush and green, the only upside Magus could see to any of it. There must have been survivors from Zeal at one point but they had bred with the Earthbound until all distinction was lost. Occasionally Magus would see a head or purple or green hair, but those were rare, and the humans of the era lacked any and all magic. Only the Mystics were the caretakers of the last pathetic remnants of magic, and theirs was crude compared to his. He couldn't say where they came from but he was secretly sure they were descendants of the beasts Zeal had engineered as guardians for Mount Woe and the Ocean Palace. In several millenia some of them had become humanoid and civilized, or what passed for it. 

He had ruled them as their dark king, their Magus, and indulged them in their stupid little war to maintain his power over them and relative cooperation preparing to summon Lavos. Things hadn't started out that way though. Back then he had been the boy, Janus, with no control, only a raw, seething hidden power. In the beginning, what Ozzie had found in the woods was a frightened, confused child... until he had crisped a few of his imp cronies with lightning bolts. That had gotten the fat creature's attention in a hurry and he had decided Janus could be useful after all. 

Magus remembered meeting Flea for the first time. He had been barely ten years old and had only just begun to think of girls at all. He had hated Flea almost from the start. 

"This squirt? He's just a snot nosed human brat! So what if he looks weird?" Flea groused, her voice shrill and snobbish. She had towered above Janus back then. Her angular face and high forehead with haughty, almost otherworldly features made her look surreal, with thin eyebrows under which were almond shaped eyes with very dark eyeliner. Her irises were an unnatural shade of pink and her hair was a magenta that was almost red. This was pulled back into a long braided ponytail that spilled behind her long pointed ears and draped over her neck. She wore stockings over her long legs, an indecently short skirt and a tight white bustier that showcased her chest, shoulders and thin neck. 

"You're not listening Flea." Ozzie said patiently. He hovered a foot off the ground but even then he was barely taller than Janus. "This mere boy fried several of my guards with M-A-G-I-C. Have you ever heard of such a thing? It takes your average Mystic decades to develop that kind of power. Think of what he could do for us with the proper training. Why with magic like that, he may well be the Magus we've been waiting for!"

"He's a human, anyone can see that." Flea had sniffed. 

"A magic using human with blue hair! Have you ever seen one of those? Because this is my first in centuries. He could well be." 

"Is that right kid? Are you a Magus come to help us trash those worthless human scum? Aww, look at his ittle-little face. What makes you think you've got the stones to run with us?" Flea had bent down to look at Janus face to face. Her face was very young looking but the constant expression of spoiled pettyness made it hateful. From the angle he could see that her breasts looked to be about a C-cup but he had been too distracted by what a total bitch she was to think much on that at the time. 

"I came here with Ozzie because he promised me a way to hone my magic." Janus said steadily. "If the Magus is supposed to be the most powerful magic user in the world, then I guess I must be him. I have more power in my pinkie then all the cretins of this era put together." Janus leaned forward, ignoring the round tops of Flea's breasts and smirked. "And you wear too much makeup. It makes you look like a tramp." 

"Oh you little bastard!" Flea shrieked and caught a hand full of his collar. Her nails were long and they dug into his skin but he just continued to grin. He had truly begun to not care any more and it made coping alot easier.

"Urk-" Flea had gasped and Janus felt an invisible force part them. He fell into a heap as Flea flew bodily, rolling once or twice before landing sitting up with her white cape over her head. "What the hell?" 

"That was a warning." Said Ozzie. "I'm in charge here and don't forget it. Flea, you will instruct Janus here on the finer points of magic, Slash will work on his physical training and I'll cover tactics, and..." Ozzie eyes glittered and Janus felt a little nervous despite himself. "Mystic philosophy. Your job for now Janus will be to learn all you can and make us all proud. Or I could just leave you to Flea here. Now that won't be a problem will it?" Flea had gotten free of her cape and gave Janus a look of pure poison. 

"No," Janus gritted, "No it most certainly will not be." 

 

"Much better." Flea admitted grudgingly. They were outside the castle in the middle of a ring of fire, the remains of twelve wooden targets that Janus had incinerated without breaking the proverbial sweat. He was sixteen years old now. 

"Be honest, have you ever seen magic like that?" He asked, knowing the answer. 

"No I haven't, but that's not the point!" Flea grumbled. "It's not the power it's how you use it! You're like some moron swinging around a broadsword without learning where the pointy end goes!"

"Not what she said." Janus replied easily. He had lived and trained in this backwater for six years. He had grown tall and strong and his blue hair spilled over his cape down to his shoulder blades. Flea eyed him disdainfully; they were now the same height. 

"Oh yeah? What would you know about that? You probably still jerk yourself to sleep at night." Her hand flew out, fast, and he grabbed her wrist in mid slap. 

"That won't work anymore." Janus grinned and yanked on Flea's pony tail and her gasp of pain was like music to him. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips curled like a dog's. Something about them... 

"Ouch! Oh you little shit! If you didn't have Ozzie's skirt to hide behind, I'd-" 

"You'd what?" Janus smirked. Something about her face and the rush of power he felt drove him to do what he did next; that night he couldn't say what had come over him. Her eyes had widened comically as she saw what he was about to do and then he had kissed her hard. Flea tried to pull away but he held fast to her hair and deepened the kiss before she finally broke free sputtering. Janus hadn't kissed anyone since he was a boy but some evil marquis in him had reveled in it. 

"Oh! Disgusting!" Flea spat and wiped her mouth furiously. "Why did you do that?" 

"It was pure pity. An old lady like you needs all she can get!"

"I'm a guy you creep!"

"Not much of one I'm afraid. Apparently you're a prude as well, who would have thought. So much for your precious reputation." Flea's face was fire red now and she seemed to physically shake with rage. She brought her hand to her lips and blew a kiss at him, but her expression was full of hate. Anyone else might have been confused but Janus knew exactly what it was and the flaming kiss struck his magical shield and fizzled into harmless sparks. Flea looked dumbfounded. 

"How could you-" 

"Please. I think we're done for today. Maybe tomorrow too if that's all you have to teach me. If you have any harassment complaints, make sure you file them with Ozzie." He flashed her his sizable fangs and began to walk away.

"I'll have your hide you runt!" She screamed. 

"If you feel you're being treated unfairly, find someone who cares." Janus said over his shoulder. He felt Schala's amulet go cold and laughed out loud. He wasn't sure what Flea had just tried to hit him with but the amulet protected him against such ailments. 

"HOW?" She bawled, and Janus laughed harder and kept walking. He felt very, very pleased with himself. He had finally reached a peak and at this rate he would be able to challenge Lavos in a few more years. The first five years had been toughest. He could feel the magic deep inside himself growing but couldn't access it except in moments of stress. Flea's training had went poorly then and she hadn't hesitated to rub his face in it.

"Better get cracking little slug!" She would laugh and then cuff him upside the ear. "If you can't show Ozzie some progress you'll be all mine to play with!" Her laugh didn't brighten her face, quite the opposite. "I'll show you who you're talking to one day very soon!" Janus had hissed and she had only laughed even harder and put a boot on his shoulder before kicking him over into the dust. Those days though were behind him now and good riddance. Still the kiss disturbed him a little bit. Sure, Flea was attractive in her way but he despised her. Why would he kiss her like that? Janus hadn't the talent for self analysis, at least not then. He had told Slash about it later, even leaving in the kiss. 

"You shouldn't have done that." The swordsman muttered shaking his head. He was tall and muscular with beady little eyes and as deadly with a blade as he was ugly. "Come to think of it she made the last guy who tried something like that eat his own arm. Up to the elbow."

"She can do nothing to me now. You should have seen me Slash."

"That's not what I meant kid. She, uh, he, is really twisted. I'd think twice about kissing, well, that. Hatred is bad enough, I don't like to think of what she'd do if she liked you." Janus frowned.

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean just forget it kid. You're too young to understand. So you just shrugged off two of her spells? I didn't think anyone could do that." It was the first time Slash had addressed him with something like respect. "Ya know I'm next in line to be one of Ozzie's generals." He swilled his mead and then added, almost thoughtfully as he furrowed non-existant eyebrows: "If Ozzie is still in charge that is." Flea was Ozzie's top general, and Janus knew he had eclipsed them both. It really was time to reconsider the pecking order 

 

Two years later, on his Eighteenth birthday he was officially recognized by the Mystics as the Magus. His powers had grown by leaps and bounds and he was now their unquestioned leader. He would give them the war they had been aching for to keep them in line and use them to gather the knowledge and materials to begin summoning Lavos. Meanwhile they could take care of the day to day activities that were beneath one such as he, freeing time to continue refining his matchless magic. All and all it had been a trying day full of speeches and ceremony and he was exhausted as he opened the door to his chambers.

"Well look what the cat dragged in. Hello Janus." Flea was reclining on an elbow on his bed with a mischievous grin on her face. She wasn't wearing her white cape for once and he could see the slim shoulders and her entire neckline. Her bustier revealed the tops of her breasts, pushing them together tightly. He raised an eyebrow. 

"It's Magus now to you and everyone else. That boy is dead." The deeper buried, the better he added mentally. Flea put both elbows on the bed and rested her chin on her palms. 

"I guess you're not the runt you used to be. You're finally taller than me now." She lilted, kicking her feet against the headboard like a little girl. "You even look like one of us." It was true, years of living with the Mystics had affected his appearance. His irises were red, he was tall and strong and his ears had taken on the point that so many Mystics had. He was Magus both body and soul now.

"Look, I'm tired. If you want to make your move then make your move and get on with it, or explain just what the hell it is you want and get out."

"What I want, is to teach you a lesson." Flea said easily. 

"As if you ever could." Flea's grin grew even wider at Magus' scowl. 

"Oh my, but you haven't heard the nature of the lesson. I'm here to teach you how to make it with a woman. You're not really a man till you have." Her strange eyes slipped down his body and traced a line slowly back up to his face. When he didn't respond she pursed her lips at him and winked. She was wearing heavy mascara and her cheeks were rouged. "I know you've never made love to a woman before. I know you've thought of me too. You wanted me. " Her tone was total certainty. 

"Never." Magus lied. Of course he'd noticed her breasts, her shapely legs, her rounded ass beneath the short skirt when he thought she wasn't looking. She was also a vivacious wench who had abused him for the better part of a decade, which only made him want to fuck her more. Not to mention he was the only fully humanoid woman within miles, how could he not? It had just been a way to keep his sanity sometimes in a castle full of filthy monsters but he couldn't deal with this tonight. "I'll have time for your games tomorrow Flea, as I said I'm tired."

“I see you still don't trust me. Well then how about these?” With that Flea's fingers went to her bustier and with a slight jiggle her breasts spilled out before his eyes. They were round and pert, not as big as his mother's but well proportioned, a solid handful. He had only seen a pair once before when he accidentally walked in on one of the maids changing clothes back in Zeal. He had only seen for a second before turning away in embarrassment; the maid had been in her forties and her body had been all sag. These didn't sag in the least, they looked buoyant and perky. In the center of the soft pink flesh the nipples protruded, a shade of lavender that he had never seen on a human being. With a start he realized he was leering at her. Flea noticed his attention to them and smiled. “My tits are great right? I'll bet you've never seen a pair this nice. How would you like to squeeze them in your hands and suck on them?” She pinched her nipples playfully and then cupped them together to emphasize their size; he saw the nipples had hardened into points now. 

“I'm...not interested.” The truth was he'd never done anything more than kiss and that had been years ago. Now he felt himself bulging down there and an urgent need for release. Not with Flea though, he would wait for someone, anyone else.

“Awww, so you're going to play hard to get. Well what if I threw this in?” With that Flea spread her legs and lifted her skirt to show him her slit. It was the first time Magus had seen one and it looked like a second pair of lips down there waiting to be kissed, and above them a strip of pubic hair that shade of magenta like her hair. Flea winked at him, then very slowly and deliberately ran the tips of her fingers up and down the outside and then spread the lips. It looked like the inside of a flower with a little pearl up top, waiting to swallow his cock. He was getting so hard it was uncomfortable and he shifted a little. “Why don't you get in there and have a taste of a real woman?” 

“That's not what you said before. You tell anyone who will listen you're a man.” She huffed in exasperation and blew a stray strand of her hair out of eye. 

“Look, that's just something I said to keep those stinking pusbags downstairs from hitting on me. The last thing I need is some maggot trying to grab my sweet ass when I'm trying to general. This is real and I'm being about as forward as I can be. I like the power ok? I like the idea of having the king of the Mystics right here and now...all night long.” She emphasized each of those last words. "Nothing sadder than a Magus of prophecy that jerks himself to sleep at night, don't you think?” “Besides,” she added. “I've never had a fresh virgin cock before. I want to be the first to try it.” Gods, she really was direct, and his ears burned. Even though Flea could never take him in a straight fight, she was still so dangerous. He thought of the mating habits of certain insects, how the female would eat the male. Yes, it would be exactly that way with her, that or something too perverted to contemplate. She was twisted for certain, and he'd acquainted himself with the rumors. She kept a depraved "collection" of devices and used these sometimes when torturing prisoners, or just for fun. 

“What a filthy mouth you have my dear.” 

'I know how to use it too.” Her lips pursed. “Now are you going to just look at my pussy or eat it?” It was getting absurd. He was the Magus and there was no one to wait for in this backwater era. He had nothing to fear from this vain creature, and there was no one who was going to judge him for giving her what she wanted. He was also tired of the physical need weakening his resolve and distracting him from his goals, the sooner he took care of it the better. He had the choice of sending her away by force or yielding to his desires, and she was right. The first option really did sound sad when he thought of it. There was still something else to worry about though.

“I'll give you what you want Flea but I want you to understand two things. I'm in charge. We do what I want to do, if you don't like it, leave.” “Second,” he made his voice menacing. “No magic, no tricks. If I find any enchantment on you or if you gather your mana for a spell or a charm, I'll know. I'll break it like it was nothing and then destroy you without hesitation. They'll have to build me a new room because of the hell I'll unleash in here. Do we have an understanding?” Flea's usual smirk faltered. That's better he thought. Then she flashed a seductive smile.

"That's too bad. The spells I know could make you cum like no human slut ever would. You don't know what you're missing" Magus shook his head. "Geez, fine!" She undid the rest of her clothes and they fell in a white pile at the side of his bed. Now she was fully nude before him as she reclined in a pose, offering her body to him. She had left her stockings on, accenting the toned thighs and vulva. She had an hourglass figure with a waist that seemed too narrow to be real, expanding into hips like parentheses. “You sure know how to make me beg for it don't you pretty boy? Now get over here and fuck me right.” Steeling himself, he strode over and kissed her. It wasn't their first kiss but it had been years and years. Her lips pressed back and her tongue tentatively slipped out and ran against his lips. He let his hands slide down her breasts and stuck an experimental finger into her and Flea gasped as he felt her pussy tighten against his first knuckle, preventing further entry.

“Not so rough,” she whined. “You're not supposed to take the lead.” He thought of just brutalizing her then. He certainly didn't like her, but he restrained himself. More gingerly this time he began to massage her folds with his thumb and index finger, trying to make up for inexperience with instinct. He was relieved to find it wasn't an illusion, he had been nervous that his hand would grasp around another cock, or a row of teeth, who knows what she really looked like under her glamour. He found the pearl, her clit, and rubbed it in what he took to be sensuously. Flea shuddered and looked at him through one open eye. 

“After all that slutty talk before? I'm disappointed, I thought you liked it rough, you were certainly never gentle with me all these years.” Magus said. He felt Flea's body stiffen against him and she looked at him now with surprise and something more primal. She closed her eyes and braced herself with an expression that was so submissive and foreign looking on her face it was shocking. He let his fingers do the walking down there, trying hard not to fumble and betray his nervousness and gradually he felt her canal soften and become wet. He was able to push his finger in all the way effortlessly now, so he began to explore and stroke in slow motions. Her lips trembled and she let out a long, contented sigh. 

“Better?” He asked. 

“Much. You can't just go straight for my clit like that. You've got to, uh...yeah, like that. Take it slow. Seduce me a little alright.”

“Then you shouldn't talk to me that way if you can't back it up.” He tickled her walls playfully and she thrashed a little bit, more strands of hair came loose. He wondered what it looked like loose and unbraided and spread across the bedspread.

“Sorry, it's... oh yeah, right there, it's all ll I know. That's what guys want to hear. Everybody always just tries to fuck me without any foreplay. That's not I wanted from you.” He paused momentarily, debating. They hadn't done much yet so he kept going after a moment.

“Everyone?” He asked, and quickened the pace of his finger a little more.

“Yeesssss...Slash, and, uh, a few others. I, uh, even tried it once with a, with a...” He slowed down a little to let her catch her breath, but not much. He enjoyed making her lose control. “A human. Talk about a letdown.” Magus snickered a little despite himself. 

“Ozzie?” For her part Flea looked disgusted and wrinkled her pointy nose. 

“No way! Ok, I'm a pervert and I've had a lot of lovers, but I have standards. You should be so lucky to have such a beautiful and experienced teacher to show you what to do.” 

“You haven't shown me anything yet.” He flicked her insides again while biting into her breast softly. Her reaction was intense, her body actually rocked back and forth and he felt her walls convulse around his finger. Either she was lying very well with her body or he had a talent for this, Magus thought with a touch of pride. She cried out a little as he ran his tongue over her soft breasts and suckled on the berry-like nipples. They weren't as sweet as he had imagined but he still found them good. Slightly salty they yielded easily to the tip of his tongue. He squeezed them in his hands and let his tongue trace down until he found her thighs, and then her honey pot. Now Flea was bucking her hips and she pushed Magus face between her thighs hard, running her hands through his long blue hair. Without further prodding he began to lick her. He found her taste tart, but not in a bad way. Her juices covered his lips as he worked before he was finally ably to get his tongue inside her and twirl it around while squeezing her ass cheeks. She spasmed and pushed his mouth against herself hard. 

“Yes, lick me, lick me there my lord. You're so good, I need it now.” Satisfied, he lifted his head to look at her and wiped his mouth slightly. He felt like he had just slurped out of the world's most erotic wine glass. 

“You call this a lesson? I'd say I've been doing all the work.”

“You said you wanted to be in charge!” She groused and stuck her tongue out at him. Quickly Magus leaned in and kissed her, sucking on her tongue. Flea's tongue met his and they wrestled briefly before she pushed him away. He tweaked her nipple between his fingers and she lightly slapped his hand. He was enjoying the role reversal immensely. 

“See?” You're too forceful!” she pouted. “I thought I was going to have fun ordering you around and then I was going to show you my collection of toys and maybe whip you afterwards! I was hoping for the virgin experience, not being dominated.” She sighed. “I haven't even seen you naked yet! What a rip!”

“Ok, you've been good...” he started, and she gave him that 'You see what I mean' expression. “So I'll back off a little. You do what you want, but I'm going to tell if I don't like it.”

“Then I'm going to do something you'll really love little boy. Sit down on the bed and let's get you undressed. I want to see what you have for me.” Magus sat and let her slender fingers worked their way inside his shirt. She parted it hard enough to send buttons flying and ran her sharp red nails up his sides and over his muscled chest. He inhaled; they were long and sharp but she was very gentle as she caressed him and traced her way down to his breaches. Like a startled snake his cock sprung free and Flea's eyes grew large at the sight of it. Smiling she gently wrapped her fingers around it and began to slowly stroke while massaging his balls. Magus moaned a little in spite of himself, he had never been touched like that before. He felt some of his earlier confidence vanish as Flea moved closer.

“Have you ever had a titty fuck?” Her voice was playful, the grin knowing. Cupping her breasts hard around his rod she began to move them furiously up and down. It felt wonderful being stroked between those two warm round tits, but it wasn't enough for him. Flea smirked, as she saw she now had his full attention she took him into her mouth and began to suck on his lower head. He watched his cock disappear between her lips and felt the swirl of her tongue as she moved and it as almost too much. The long, thick cable of her magenta hair bounced crazily and he felt his tip brush against the back of her throat and the rhythmic vaccum as she tried to inhale him. Her pink eyes gleamed up at him as she engulfed him an inch at a time before slowly drawing him out against the top of her tongue. Her expression and the suction was too much and Magus came hard then like a geyser, it was too soon but it just felt so good he couldn't help it. Flea never stopped but took it all, gulping steadily, and with one last long suck released him. She wiped a bit of cum from her mouth with her fingertip.

“Virgins, ha. Don't tell me you're finished already.” She didn't wait for him to answer, but bit his nipple softly and began to stroke him with both hands until he was hard once more. Gently she guided him to her entrance and he slid into her effortlessly. It was his first taste of womanhood and he stopped moving for a moment to savor the intense feeling as her pussy completely enveloped his rigid rod. He felt Flea tense and grip his member before letting out a soft groan. Putting an arm around his back and encircling Magus with her legs he felt the soft pads of her feet rub down his lower back to his ass, pushing him against her and urging him on. 

"That's the way, move with me now." She sighed, digging her nails into his back as he began to gradually get used to the wetness and varied his strokes. Soon Magus thrust into her more forcefully and she thrust her pelvis back in time with him. The friction intensified and Flea began to writhe against him, her breasts rolled and heaved in languid circles as the headboard creaked. " Ahhh...that's the spot. You're making me tingle! Bet you want to come real bad don't you boy?" Flea piped as her legs tightened around him, her expression pleased. With that Magus hooked his hands under her legs and pushed them into the air and began to drive deep inside Flea, their thighs slapping together loudly. He tried to pace himself but then she held him close and clenched against him hard. She was too tight and he couldn't hold it and bit her shoulder softly as he came into her then. It was a tremendous feeling of release compared to every other time in his life and Magus looked at Flea with wide eyed bewilderment as she laughed out loud. 

"I didn't mean to-" Flea tittered at his embarassment and gave him a sly veteran's look. 

"You're just lucky you've got me to practice with. I won't get pregnant, believe me. We're not biologically compatible that way." Flea's hair had come undone and strands of it hung about her face. A bead of sweat ran down her neck. Magus looked over the slim stomach to the rolling hills of her breasts approvingly and grinned. They were compatible enough to suit him. Seeing her disheveled like that was arousing, now that he'd had sex he could see why people placed so much importance on it. 

"So we can go again?" Flea put a finger on her lips and sucked the tip before tracing a line down her side. "What do you think? This time though I want you to fuck me like a Mystic, not some human sissy. You know what I want right?" She arched her ass into the air and he could see her nether lips clearly. They were still gleaming with rivulets of dew. He didn't need further invitation and guided his cock into her waiting rosebud as she leaned back and accepted his full length. Flea began to rock back against him, slowly at first. Magus grasped her hips and penetrated far more deeply than he'd been able to missionary. Gods, it was so good, how did he wait so long? Flea increased her tempo until she was ramming against him with meaty slaps that echoed like thunderclaps in his chambers.

"Is that the best you've got? I guess you're still just a boy after all!" Flea scoffed, and Magus growled and squeezed her hips harder. 

"So you want me to play rough?" He began to slam into her faster and she squealed with delight. 

"Yes, don't stop! Fuck me my lord, yes! I've never had it so good!"

"I'll bet." He agreed sarcastically and found the energy to ream her mercilessly. He felt Flea's body yield to him as he overpowered her, her words turned to trills and chirps of ecstasy and still he thrust faster and deeper. Her skin was like rosy porcelain as he dug and caressed and pinched with his fingers. Leaning in closer he cupped her tits together, kneeding them in his hands. 

"Oh yeah, squeeze them. Don't stop! Don't stop!" She gasped. Her long ponytail flew about her shoulders as she undulated and with a burst of inspiration Magus grabbed her ponytail and pulled it back, letting the pressure lead her ass to his loins. He felt her loosen and give way as he pounded her and her lustful cries and total surrender was exhilirating to him. He cried out loudly and felt himself erupt, this time there was no shame or tension and they collapsed together into the bed. Flea breathed slowly, her chest rising and falling, her hand across her eyes. Magus still felt energized; it had been like he had begun to control his magic, this feeling like a flood gate opening. Maybe Flea was still good for something after all. After a minute she stood up and poured herself a glass of wine from a bottle on the table. 

"Was it everything you hoped it would be?" Flea asked.

"It was..." He struggled to find a word to adequately describe sex. "Breathtaking."

"Heh, that was nothing. You've still got alot to learn from me."

"Such as?" Magus grinned. He still thought she was a shrill harpy but she was good in bed. A few more years of this might even make up for all the early abuse. 

"How would you like to feel what I feel?" Her smile widened, and he didn't like it. She had always smiled that way before some nasty surprise. 

"I wonder, could you please be any more cryptic Flea?" Flea spat a quick string of magic words and Magus tensed, ready for the attack. He felt nothing, but Flea glowed brightly for a moment and there was a quick flash of light. Magus rubbed his eyes warily, Flea's aura had changed ever so slightly but he couldn't tell how. Flea was still grinning and then Magus saw why. Flea's body had changed and now below the breasts and smooth stomach she...he...it was grasping a large cock. It was even bigger than his and as he watched it rose into the air and throbbed expectantly at him. Flea stroked it slowly in a parody of the way she had stroked him before. 

"What do you think of it? I can see you're speechless. That's ok, you don't have to say anything. Let me show you what I can do with it." Magus trembled and then felt violently ill remembering Flea's caress. 

"I'm not into that! Now get out of here Flea, I'm done with you." 

"You're done with me?" Flea chortled. "You don't know what you're passing up. What you felt before with me was nothing, nothing compared to how much pleasure I can give you. The best of both worlds, the pleasures of both man and woman in one. You've come this far, you may as well go all the way." Magus stood up, still naked, and briefly furrowed is brow in concentration. The air seemed to ripple like water as he pulled a scythe from it into his hands. It had wicked spear points on each end and he held it before his stark body defensively. 

"Get out now and don't you come back into my room unbidden or so help me one way or another you're going to lose that cock. You hear me?" Flea held up it's hands anxiously. 

"Calm down, just calm down. If you don't feel right about it I can change you into a woman and then we can-" He advanced a step, the scythes crescent blade grinning, preparing to cut Flea off in more ways than one. "I'm going, this is me going!" There was another flash of light and Flea was gone.

Magus sat down heavily on his bed and shook his head. He strengthened the wards around his room until nothing short of Lavos would be getting in and then finished the entire bottle of wine in a moment before passing into a drunken stupor. His Eighteenth birthday had been one for the books alright. 

 

Magus had kept a working relationship with Flea after all that, but had never allowed it to get that close to him again. Flea was perhaps the most talented mage the Mystics had after himself, and carried out his orders faithfully after Magus assumed leadership. It was easier for Magus to reconcile Flea as an "It". The creature, whatever it truly was, insisted it was a man, but Magus was sure he had been with a woman that night, and then later the thing before him had aspects of both sexes. He may have been the mass murdering leader of a group of slovering monsters, but Magus wasn't nearly as adventurous as he liked to pretend. That night had weighed on him for a long time, and perhaps set the tone for the rest of his life. He had never had what he thought of as "normal" sex after all those years. After that jarring experience he had been only happy to put sex out of his mind for several years, but it was difficult to fight nature.

In that time they had begun to take human prisoners from villages they raided. He had been 20 years old at the time and had crushed Cyrus and the Masamune sword. The frustration of having no women of his age or even species around had taken it's toll and become a difficult distraction. He had been discussing war strategy with Ozzie when the Hench had ushered the latest group of prisoners through to the dungeon. This was a daily occurrence but today there was a young woman with neck length brown hair that caught his eye. She looked to be in mid twenties or so and was wearing a lacy blouse and a skirt that didn't even reach her knees, and her skin was bronzed, a bar maid perhaps. She was filthy but he could see her lush lips, long enticing legs and the promising swell of her breasts. 

“Magus? Are you even listening?” Ozzie whined.

“Stop!” Magus ordered the Hench, and they halted, confused. He walked straight up to the woman who trembled with terror. “Girl, what is your name?”

“Ariana.” Her voice quivered and her eyes pleaded with him.

“I am the Magus. You might have heard of me. I'd like a dinner companion this evening and your schedule seems to be clear. So how about it? Moldy bread and maybe rats if you can catch them in the dungeon with the rest or dinner with me?”

“I...” she gulped and looked at the other prisoners. Some of them were glaring at Magus with hate or fear in their eyes, and some were glaring at her. The rest simply stared down at the floor. “Alright, I accept.” She said softly. 

“Splendid. You there!” he pointed to one of the brighter looking Hench. “Get her cleaned up and prepare a table in my chambers. I would like a quiet...intimate evening.” He gave her the warmest smile he could manage and she suddenly became very interested in the far wall. The Hench bowed and unchained Ariana from the rest and led her away. With a grunt another Hench kicked a prisoner in the back of the line and they began their stumbling journey down to the dungeons. Magus felt three chubby clawed digits grip his arm tightly. It was Ozzie hovering next to him wild eyed and looking fit to spit. 

“What in Lavos' name was that about? Are you mad?” Magus looked at the hand calmly for a second, and like a snake striking his arm shot out and his fingers dug deeply into Ozzie's corpulent neck.

“Don't ever touch me again you fat sack of crap. Do we have an understanding?” Ozzie tried to speak but only sputtering gurgles came out, so he frantically nodded. Magus released his grip and Ozzie fell to the floor as his concentration was broken. 

“You can't do that, they'll call you a human lover!” Ozzie was rubbing his throat and his voice was harsh like sandpaper.

“Am I or am I not the Magus? You only have prisoners of war because I leant my name to this war.”

“How long do you think you'll be leading if you start a relationship with a, with a...I can't even think about it. A human!” 

“You're right. Perhaps a donkey?” 

“I'm serious!” Ozzie positively shrieked. Magus tugged on his glove absently, it calmed him.

“It's not a relationship. I have needs, the least of which is not being pestered about it by cretins like yourself. This dinner is happening as well as whatever happens after.” 

"Will you think for just a second! Imagine the king of Guardia bedding a Naga-ette prisoner. His own army would have his head on a spit the next day."

"Luckily I don't have to worry about that." Said Magus, brushing a bit of imaginary dust from his shoulders. "I could blow this whole island to hell and back." Ozzie shook his head.

“Why don't you find yourself a nice Naga-ette girl? Huh?” Magus had considered that. One day he had stopped to "chat" with a particularly attractive Naga-ette named Lina in the hall. He had spoken casually with her on matters of war and nodded thoughtfully at her replies while he had surreptitiously eyed her near naked body. He had been so fervent he had been about to suggest to her that she give him a blowjob to remember when her mate, a Gnasher had come slithering down the hall. Gnashers were giant purple snakes, as large and as long around as a grown man.

"Lina, you're late." It hissed and the busty Naga-ette had excused herself with a blush. It was just as well, he couldn't believe he had become so desperate in just two years. Naga-ettes were the most human looking Mystics after Flea. Despite their blank white eyes, fangs and claws they had the faces and builds of beautiful women. The chief problem though was their large snakes tails in place of legs. Magus shook his head to clear it and regarded his rotund little general. 

“Wouldn't know where to stick it.” Magus said honestly.

“Look, I know a hot little imp and she would-”

“I prefer my women taller.” Magus broke in. “With hair. An actual torso would be nice too.” Ozzie for his part threw up his hands 

“Oh for the love of...just take my advice. Patch it up with Flea, anything but this.” 

“Just shut up and stay out my way Ozzie. Say what you have to say to the rest but make no mistake this evening is happening” 

 

Magus had some naive idea that he would have opportunity to be charming, but as night came Ariana quickly dispelled him of that. The small talk quickly became as forced as the situation was and finally he was content to let Ariana finish her dinner in relative silence. They were in Magus' well appointed chambers and the room was dimly lit by candles. His castle had been as dark as his mother's was bright, but it suited him. Ariana was scrubbed and looking gorgeous in a fetching red gown and matching bow in her hair. The meal wasn't as sumptuous as anything from his days in Zeal but for the time it had been impressive. Chicken, asparagus, bowls of fresh fruit and of course lots of wine. Occasionally her brown eyes would glance into his timidly and then quickly dart away. 

“Enjoying the meal?” He asked. 

“It's good.” She replied unenthusiastically and said nothing more. When they had finished the food he stood up and came next to her.

“Well we've just about done. You know my dear, the Mystics despise humans more than anything. It's been conveyed to me that I won't be able to keep you. Not even as a pet. So I'm afraid after tonight it's back to the dungeons with you.” He sighed. Ariana burst into tears and covered her face with her hands and Magus felt a small pang of regret. He didn't want to be so cruel to the poor thing but cruelty came as natural as breathing to him now having to keep his Mystic peons in line. Still there was nothing to be done for it. 

“Can't you...can't you talk to them? Or just let me go? I promise I won't tell anyone anything about you.” She pleaded, and Magus felt the small pang grow a little. It was true he hated most people but it was an impersonal kind of hate. Was he just making it worse on this girl? No he told himself firmly. She gets a night of comfort she wouldn't get otherwise and I get some much needed relief.

“Ariana...” he said and very gently put his hands on her shoulders. Her sobbing subsided a little and she looked up with something like hope but something in his eyes made it run away like rain water. “I can't talk to them and I can't let you go. You're a war prisoner of the Mystics and nothing can change that. Your hand is dealt.” 

“The war you started! You killed everyone, everyone!” She shook her head furiously from side to side and again with infinite gentleness Magus reached out and steadied her with a hand against her chin.

“This war would have happened with or without me, it's been in the making for centuries. Still, nothing I can say will ever change what you think of me and it's not wrong of you to think that way. I just want you to understand that what will be will be. Nothing matters except the time you have left.” 

“How long?” She asked.

“I don't know.” Magus said bluntly. “Like I said you're not mine to keep, except for tonight. I can send you back to the dungeons now or in the morning. I just want you to know it's your choice and it won't be held against you.” 

“Some choice! You're no king, you're just a pig! Just stay away from me!” Ariana's eyes flared and he took his hand away.

“So you find me unattractive?” He asked with interest.

“What?” She seemed totally nonplussed. “No! I mean, yes! You're as hideous as the rest of those monsters. You look like a vampire! Freak! Freak!” Her voice rose hysterically and her bosom swelled. She was lying, and he wanted her.

“I won't force myself on you. Still, I think I could persuade you.” His voice was smooth and conceited. 

“What do you think you're-” Magus kissed her suddenly and passionately and she jerked in her chair comically. He hadn't kissed a girl since Flea and his overwhelming need and power over her lent ardor to the kiss. He had had to treat Flea like a poisoned dagger, but Ariana was only a human, an Earthbound maybe but a woman nonetheless. Her stiff lips softened and melted against his reflexively and he ran his hand through her wavy dark hair and along her neck. Her skin was like electricity to his fingertips and he ran them down her shoulder blades and just beneath the straps of her gown. Her hands gripped his wrists and pushed him away then. She was shivering and one of the straps was loose.

“Do you want to go back now?” Magus asked softly. “You can go back if you want to.”

“I just...you're the Magus. How could I? I'd be a traitor.”

“I need you tonight Ariana. That's all that matters to me. I'll be gentle.” She seemed uncertain, licking her lips nervously, which he found arousing. Magus reached out and took Ariana's hand and she didn't shrink away. Taking her hand he led her across his chest down his smooth stomach. Her hand continue to move on it's own and they both gasped when she touched his bulging erection beneath his pants. She hesitated and he kissed her tenderly on the lips, her cheeks, her neck. After a few moments he felt her breathing slow and her hand tentatively moving against his flesh. He nibbled on her neck and she gasped as her hand found its way into his breeches and encircled his cock. She was timid and a novice with her stroking but it didn't matter, just her touch alone felt so good after so long. Magus ran both hands down her back until he felt the soft, fleshy contours of her ass in his palms and began to massage it through the gown. Ariana's breath caught as he held her closer, pressing his cock against her stomach to let her know his seriousness. 

"Is this what you want? Is this what you want from me?" She breathed huskily and looked down at herself. Something in her tone made him feel guilty, but he only nodded. They moved, still kissing to his bed and stripped eachother's clothes off, every second Ariana was becoming bolder and soon enough they stood naked. They fell into bed together and he ran his hands along her hips and then spread her legs and licked along her thighs until he reached her slit. Her breasts were as tan as the rest of her with brown nipples, and she was shaved down there. He first kissed and then began to lick her clit before licking up and down her crevice. She wasn't as wet as he had hoped but after a minute of this he could feel her juices against his lips. She cried out and pushed Magus' head against her, urging him on as he savored her taste. She was different than Flea, almost sour, but also sweet he thought.

He entered her with a cry of pleasure and frustrated, driving need . It had been too long since he'd had a woman. He had fucked her missionary, gripping her wrists as she tossed her hair side to side in ecstasy and then had made love to her the second time, or as close to making love as he was capable. He lay with her in the twilight hours of the morning, kissing her or rubbing her shoulders every now and again while she stared at the ceiling. He knew she was thinking about the night ending and what that mean. He didn't love her or even really know her, but she had helped him, and for that he was grateful. He cast a simple sleep spell on her and she had drifted off into slumber. In the morning the Hench took her away and she was gone. He never saw her again. 

He sat in his chambers drinking wine that afternoon brooding. He felt like he could think again now. No, he truly didn't love Ariana, she meant nothing to him. Only Schala had ever mattered. He didn't regret last night really. It had been just what he needed and he had tried to give Ariana as much pleasure as he took. What he did regret, what filled him with more loathing than anything was what would happen to her now. It had been like keeping a sheep as a pet and then giving it up to slaughter. So what if the Mystics thought he was a human lover? He could take them all...but he shook his head. He wouldn't do that when he had already sacrified a decade to put himself in this position. Everything was to have his revenge on Lavos, for himself and for Schala and for their kingdom. Still, he resolved that when Lavos was destroyed and he no longer needed the Mystics he would wipe them, or at least the architects of the war like Ozzie off the face of the earth and make their suffering legendary. For Ariana too. Just on general principal. It occurred to Magus that he might be a hypocrite and the worst of them all, but it didn't seem to matter. 

Ariana had not been the last woman Magus invited for dinner. He would focus for a matter of months and then his urges would get the better for him again. He didn't make the same mistakes he had with Ariania, he refined it into a technique, making sure only to pick vapid, shallow women or sexpots based purely on their physical characteristics. They had captured a true prize in Poore, almost the entire village council and their families. The mayor was a fat oaf in his 50's with a gray handlebar moustache. His wife on the other hand had been a well scrubbed trophy with light blond hair and large opal earrings. She was in her late 40's, both older and older looking than his mother and almost twice his age but she had been a beauty and still looked it. She had practically leapt onto his cock, and he nuzzled his face between her plump, full tits before bending her over the bed and making her moan like a whore.

"I enjoyed last night immensely, my compliments. Older women really do know what they're doing." He had laughed to her dumbstruck idiot of a husband.

Mothers, daughters, aunts, wives, whichever Magus was in the mood for was his. They didn't all accept his advances of course. Some refused him outright, and others opted to go back after dinner rather than sleep with him, and he let them. Because he picked carefully though he had few rejections. After several failures he managed to arrange a threesome. Two townswomen from Choras' more well to do families, party girls by all accounts, pretty in that way only the spoiled rich can be. A red head with fair skin and rosy cheeks (her other cheeks had been rosy too) and a sensuous dark haired beauty with bedroom eyes and olive skin. He had offered them two nights out of the dungeons each and with a minimum of subtletly and a maximum of wine, the brunette had been sucking on the red head's pert pink nipples as he grasped her ass and plunged into her pussy repeatedly before giving the red head his hard length. They ended the night with the red head sitting on his face as he lapped at her with his tongue and the brunette riding him hard before falling asleep between the comforting heaviness of their breasts, as close to at peace as he could get in this era. It had seemed impossible to top that experience and by that time his research was finally bearing fruit, so soon after he had stopped making the invites and focused only on preparing to destroy Lavos. The war was also picking up by then and there was simply no more time. That had been the last time he had sex before that night with his mother. 

 

Magus woke, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. He was back in Zeal palace. He rubbed his eyes and drank the glass of water on his nightstand before getting up to relieve himself. He had slept the entire day and now it was dark out, after midnight he judged. He felt bleary, as if he had been reliving his memories of sex continuously without real sleep. Regarding his puffy eyes in the mirror it occurred to him that beat or not, some part of him desperately wanted to go to his mother's chambers and relive a few of those memories with her physically. He slapped himself once across the face; it was the spell, it was the spell. It was no good, he felt himself drifting and he stumbled back to his bed. In seconds, he was snoring loudly, though the visions and memories plagued him the whole night. 

 

Authors notes: I'm trying to keep all these uniform length (feel free to make a dick joke), but this one ran a little long and it seemed awkward to break it up. It went through some rewrites, I wanted to write a full scene with the Naga-ette and thought of rewriting Ariana a little more two dimensional but think it works as is, but you tell me. I had fun writing this, the Mystics and Magus being Magus without having to hide as Prophet are such a change of pace from the bullshit of the Zealian court, their dialogue is alot less stilted. I know I passed up a few opportunities to do something more, uh, interesting with Flea, but who knows, maybe a future chapter. As for Flea, I know some people are going to get hardcore about it, but Fleas one of the few characters I can think of where you can go in any direction outside of saying it's a big hairy lumberjack under that getup. If Robo and Akira Toriyama thought it was a chick, I've got to guess it's not some Visual Kei/Madame Butterfly type. Flea is a shape changer, 'nuff said, and if Kirk can fuck a shape changer in Star Trek VI, then who are we to judge? Oh, and get out of my face with Chrono Cross. That's like saying Highlander 2 is canon. If you want Futa Flea on Magus action you'll just have to read literally any other fanfic, because some other guy on some other fanfic is Mr. Purple, you're Mr Pink!

 

Next chapter: Back to Zeal, and back to Zeal's bedroom! Things warm up a little with Schala! I know I promised this last chapter but like I said, this one went long


	3. Confrontation

Chapter 3- Confrontation  
  
   
  
_Mr. Brown: Lemme tell you what 'Like a Virgin' is about. It's all about this cooze who's a regular fuck machine, I'm talking morning, day, night, afternoon, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick.  
Mr. Blue: How many dicks is that?  
Mr. White: A lot_.  
  
   
  
   
  
Magus awoke to a loud rapping on the door and was getting ready to respond with a few of his more colorful threats when he remembered where he was. He quickly threw on his cloak and hood and opened the door to one of Dalton's cronies.  
  
“Aren't you dressed yet? The Queen wanted everyone at Vitreus for the thermal survey this morning.” The Lasher's silver mask was expressionless but his voice was anxious as he leaned in. “Everyone.”  
  
“What time is it? I didn't hear-”  
  
“Have you got a death wish or what? It'll be both our heads if you don't get moving. You've got two minutes to slap something on, so move, move!”  
  
Magus closed the door and had enough time to splash some water on his face and hair. He couldn't recall anything in the weeks prior about a thermal survey. Vitreus was a large manmade basin on the top of the mountain that Zeal Palace was founded on. It's waters flowed through a series of canals, feeding out to a large waterfall and a still larger lake at the base of the mountain that supplied the water to most of the kingdom. He opened the door again, now properly dressed as the crony looked this way and that.  
  
“Took you long enough. Let's go.”  
  
“I can find my own way thank you.”  
  
“I must insist, I was given my orders. If I don't show up with you it'll end very badly for me.” Magus arched an eyebrow, but the hood hid the better part of his face.  
  
“As you wish, lead on then.”  
  
The crony set a fast pace and soon the halls of the palace gave way to the clean open air outside. The palace sat at the top of a mountain on the main isle of the nation of Zeal, floating high above the clouds and blustering snow and wind below. It gave one the feeling of living on the very top of the world, and it was easy to see how the Enlightened ones had come to look down on Earthbound, such as it were. The blue sky and sunlight helped wake Magus from his malaise and his mind began to turn the situation over.  
  
“About this survey...”  
  
“What about it?” The crony never slowed, but every few moments he would look over his shoulder to make sure Magus was still behind him. He could have flown to Vitreus in half the time but the crony was insistent.  
  
“I've been attentive of court matters for weeks now and I've heard nothing about it. It seems odd that we need such a thing when we're focusing so on the Ocean Palace.”  
  
“Well if you think it's odd, you tell the Queen that yourself Prophet. I don't know the details.”  
  
They reached Vitreus in another half hour, the late morning sun sparkling off it's blue waters. Wind rustled through the trees, but there was no one in sight.  
  
“I don't get it. They told me they'd be here.” Magus couldn't see the man's eyes but the voice didn't sound surprised. “There's someone!” Magus looked to see three Thrashers down the way. His companion ran up to them and began talking and gesturing back. They walked up to him as a group, he could see they all had the silver masks and yellow uniforms marking them as Dalton's elite.  
  
“As I was telling my friend here Prophet, I'm afraid there was a bit of an accident. Luckily the Queen and Princess are fine.” The voice under the mask was friendly, chipper almost.  
  
“What sort of an accident?”  
  
“I really think it's best you come with me and see for yourself. Up that way.” He gestured towards the trees and Magus grew more suspicious. Still, he was here so he'd play their little game, whatever it was. As the leader walked ahead of Magus two of the Thrashers fell in on either side of him and his crony, as he now thought of him, kept pace directly behind. They drew closer to the grove and Magus stopped dead so suddenly the crony bumped into him.  
  
“Don't you think this is far enough?” He asked. The two Thrashers at his sides glanced at each other and one shook his head. The leader spread his hands apologetically.  
  
“If you'll just follow us everything will be made clear.” The voice was insincere and impatient and Magus smiled thinly.  
  
“I don't mind if you think I'm stupid, just don't talk to me like I am. We've wasted enough of my time with this sad farce. What's behind those trees? An exploding glyph? A golem? Something really unoriginal like more of you fools waiting to beat me with those silly sticks of yours?  
  
“I really don't know what you're on about Prophet. The Queen awaits and-”  
  
“Yes, in the palace no doubt. You're not going to get me over to those trees, so why don't you just make your play?” The Thrasher leader sighed and the rest of them spread around Magus in a loose circle. The leader drew his cane from his hip and tapped it into his palm almost thoughtfully. The canes were quite sturdy and magically reinforced by several etched runes. Magus knew despite their looks they were fully capable of crushing a skull.  
  
“You're being very difficult Prophet. It would be much quicker and easier for all if you just came with us.”  
  
“This really is pathetic, even for Dalton. That he thinks so little of me to send you four.”  
  
“Smart one aren't you? So smart and so clairvoyant that you couldn't see an ambush like this. Dalton was right, you are all mouth.” The mask chuckled and as one the four of them began to raise their canes.  
  
“Wait,” Magus blurted nervously and they paused. “There's something I need to tell you.” With that Magus held out his arms, palms out in a supplicating gesture and chanted under his breath. He knew they wouldn't recognize his custom spell, as it had no known counterpart. After a second a strong wind began to blow, causing Magus' cloak to billow and the Thrashers looked in every direction, unsure of what was happening. The leader had the initiative to try and strike Magus but abruptly the wind shifted and became a great sucking vacuum as a black hole appeared and expanded beneath their feet. Some of them tried to scramble over the rim of the gaping abyss but there was no footing. The pull increased and with screams of despair they were all sucked into the void. Magus watched them plummet into the empty darkness for a moment before the hole closed in on itself, leaving nothing but green grass.  
  
“I hope that clears things up.” Magus said to the undisturbed ground. “Would you care to try your luck over there?” He called jovially to the trees. “No? Perhaps I'll see you back at the palace then. Tonight.” There was a rustle from the trees but no movement.  
  
“Damn him.” Magus muttered under his breath as he looked up at the sun. It would be close to noon now, he would be hopelessly late for the daily court. Cursing Dalton all the way, he flew back to the palace as fast as his magic would carry him.  
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
The guards exchanged a cautious look at Magus' hooded figure. This wouldn't end well, but to not show up at all would be far worse he thought as he strode in. The throne room was scarlet and gold, the walls pulsing with magical energy and enough defensive wards to give even someone like him trouble. His sister Schala, that cretin Dalton, and several advisers were conversing as the Queen lounged on her throne, a solid gold monstrosity which expanded outward like a great glittering spiderweb, flanked on both sides by sculpted angels with jeweled eyes. All talk ceased and they turned to look at him, the silence was unnerving. Schala looked apprehensive and Dalton wore a half smirk on his face, giving Magus the overwhelming urge to drive his fist through it. Queen Zeal looked down at him with her chin in her hand for a moment, eyes narrowing.  
  
“How kind of you to finally join us Prophet, we were just getting ready to adjourn.” It was quiet in the throne room, but the tension in the air was like the moments before an earthquake. He had no good lies to tell and the truth was just as bad. Zeal was infamous for her intolerance for excuses, even when they were justified. He went to one knee and bowed low, making his voice as humble as he could.  
  
“My apologies your Majesty. I have no excuse.” Magus heard a muffled snicker from Dalton but didn't raise his eyes.  
  
“I very graciously excused you yesterday for your...illness, but you mustn't mistake my kindness for softness. You are nobody special here Prophet and you are expected to adhere to my time table like everyone else. If my own daughter can be on time every day, why can't you?” Magus grit his teeth and continued to look at the floor. He couldn't afford any mistakes at this juncture.  
  
“It is my fault and I apologize for having caused so much delay and difficulty for your Majesty. I promise that this will never happen again.”  
  
“See that it doesn't Prophet, or there won't be a next time. Stand up.” He did and wasn't encouraged. Zeal's expression was implacable and it wasn't mercy he saw in her eyes. “The rest of you make way.” Dutifully the court cleared to either side and now only he stood before the Queen. She extended her right hand towards him in a grandiose gesture, he could see the large emerald on her ring clearly. He had a strong feeling what was coming and braced himself.  
  
The spell was low charge but very painful and hit Magus with the force of an electric prod. The voltage crawled over every inch of his muscles like biting, angry ants, digging through him until he felt it squirming in his guts. His knees wanted to buckle but he managed to remain standing. There was an overpowering smell of ozone in the air and Zeal's eyes widened as she bared her teeth in a demented grin.  
  
“You mewling wretch. You dare continue to stand before me?” The spell hit him again, stronger this time, and Magus stifled a scream. He could have blocked both spells, easily, and a little Dark Matter would have gone far in ending Zeal's reign, but things had to play out.  
  
“Mother, please stop!” Schala shouted and he heard several of the court murmur amongst themselves. It could well be them next time. Magus allowed himself to go to one knee for the sake of Zeal's ego, and with the overwhelming pain it really wasn't so difficult. Finally the pain stopped and he was left panting while Zeal's outstretched hand smoked slightly.  
  
“My daughter has much to learn in the way of speaking when she should listen, and disciplining rascals like you for the good of all.” Zeal said, her voice returning to it's normal imperious tone. “Still, I will say this for you Prophet, you know how to take your punishment like a man.” She tittered slightly but nobody else joined.  
  
“Thank you your Majesty.” Magus bowed as well as he could manage as he was still sore and burning from the magic.  
  
“Now take your place and shut up. Dalton, you were saying?”  
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
Court ended ten minutes later and Magus stumbled out and found a bench. He leaned back heavily and groaned. The red haired boy, the Frog, the girl with the thick glasses, they had done much worse to him in his last battle only months ago. He had hated them passionately when he first arrived but as he came to understand his situation he realized he owed them more than he could ever repay for interrupting him before. Even that foolish amphibian he marveled. Destroying Lavos now would give him another chance at revenge, but more importantly, it was an opportunity to save his sister and the kingdom. He thought again of just destroying his mother, and Dalton, and anyone who might follow in their foot steps. It would be so much simpler, but it was he knew only a temporary solution. Someone else would misuse Lavos' power, and the cycle would begin all over again. Things had to be this way.  
  
“I'm sorry for that Prophet, she seems to get worse every day now.” Magus twitched in surprise and opened an eye to the melodious voice. It was his sister Schala, looking at him with concern. It was the first time she had talked to him in days. Her blue hair spilled across purples robes, her kind face floated, ethereal like in the torrent of her hair. Her eyes were like...he shook his head. It just didn't do to think on it. Green pools reflecting star light. Simpering fool he cursed at himself as he propped himself up.  
  
“There's no need to apologize Princess. I should thank you, without your assistance it might have been worse.”  
  
“You have no idea how right you are.” Schala said softly, and then gave him a quizzical look. “Why didn't you tell my mother why you were late?”  
  
“There was no excuse.”  
  
“What about Dalton?” Magus jerked and stared at Schala's serious face.  
  
“You knew?”  
  
“I saw the two of you this morning, you were following one of Dalton's men. If you don't want to I could be the one to tell my mother.”  
  
“No, just please let it pass for both our sakes. The Queen would think I put you up to it and Dalton might make trouble for you.” Schala laughed contemptuously.  
  
“Dalton is just an idiot, I can handle him” Magus chuckled despite himself, she usually wasn't so confident but she sounded totally sure. She was an optimist who always had a way of making any situation sound better than it was.  
  
“It's because he's an idiot that he's dangerous. He doesn't think of the consequences of his actions, but I do, and it's not worth it. I'll live, believe me.”  
  
“Still, it wasn't right what they did to you. I know we've had our differences, but...” She trailed off and Magus fought an urge to put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
“Princess, I respect you more than any person in the world.” Schala blinked twice.  
  
“What do you mean by that Prophet?”  
  
“I mean...” He struggled for the words and cursed himself again. He had deliberately kept his distance from Schala all this time but it was almost impossible not to let his feelings spill out. “What I mean to say is despite things I may say or do, I'm on your side, always.” Schala licked her lips, seemed about to say something, then change her mind.  
  
“The Gurus are my teachers and my friends. Why did you turn on them like that? Why are you helping my mother?” Her eyes searched his for some scrap of sympathy, but luckily the hood hid all.  
  
“Dalton knew about the Gurus and it was only a matter of time before the Queen knew too. Sometimes we have to do things we know are wrong, that hurt others, because there's no choice. I help your mother because I can do more from the inside. Do you understand?” Schala clutched her amulet tightly and nodded. Of course she understood. Magus wanted to comfort her but he had already said too much as it was. “At any rate, thank you for your concern, but please let me handle myself my lady.”  
  
“You can call me Schala if you want. You don't have to be so formal around me either, that's my mother's fetish” There was the ghost of a smile at the corners of her lips and she looked almost shy. Magus stopped himself from making a fetish joke that would have been in poor taste considering his recent escapades with his mother.  
  
“Schala it is then.” He gave her a natural smile which she returned, hers was a smile like the sun driving melting frost from Spring flowers. Bite your tongue you fool he thought to himself.  
  
“What may I call you? I feel a little silly calling you 'Prophet'.” He was about to respond when he was cut off by a loud caterwauling.  
  
“Schala! Schala, there you are! Come on, we're going to be late!” It was Janus, or rather, his younger self crashing his way down the hall. Janus stumbled slightly against a chair leg before swearing and grabbing the chair and throwing it as Magus watched bemused. It was difficult not to laugh at himself, could he really have ever been that brat?  
  
“Schala, let's go, you promised we'd go to Enhasa!” He made it sound like a grave breach but to Magus as an adult he cringed at how whiny he had been. Janus gave Magus his dirtiest look. “What are you looking at peasant?”  
  
“Janus!” Schala admonished and he rolled his shoulders bullishly and glowered at Magus.  
  
“Come on, come on, you promised!” Schala ran a hand through her hair and offered Magus her open hand.  
  
“Perhaps you'd like to...” Magus shook his head and waved them away dismissively.  
  
“I'm sorry, I really am. Thank you for offering but I need to rest from this morning. You understand.” Schala nodded in disappointment and they went off together. Magus watched them go in the distance and when they were almost out of sight he saw Janus turn and stick out his tongue quickly. It tired him to think of them, so for a few minutes he rested his head against the wall before an oily voice disturbed him.  
  
“Too bad about this morning Prophet. You should know the Queen doesn't trust loafers who can't even show up on time. Why I even heard you may be out as far as the Ocean Palace goes.” Magus sighed and opened his eyes. It was Dalton, sporting his brand new gold trimmed eye patch.  
  
“Well I guess someone like you would be relying more on his hearing these days. Still, you are a sight for sore eyes.” Dalton scowled.  
  
“Smart mouthed bastard. We'll just see how smart you talk before all is said and done. You shouldn't have ever made an enemy out of me.”  
  
“Are you going to send more cannon fodder to teach me some manners, or are you going to do something yourself this time?” Dalton twitched visibly.  
  
“What did you do to my men?”  
  
“Sent them on a little extended vacation. You're welcome to join them, for someone who claims to want immortality you seem to like gambling with your life. I would hate to have to start being proactive about meddlers.” Dalton's fist clenched and unclenched twice and then he laughed.  
  
“You'll screw up again sooner or later, and when you do...” He made a throat cutting motion and in response Magus put a hand over his eye.  
  
“I guess I'll be seeing you later then.” Dalton went bright red and for a moment Magus thought he would actually try something right there in public but then a group of servants came talking and laughing down the hall. Dalton glanced at them and pointed a heavy finger at Magus before stomping away. Charming, he thought. One distraction down, now he would do what he could with the Queen.  
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
After food and rest that evening, he felt ready to deal with Queen Zeal. He had already been zapped and literally fucked by her, what more could she do? He waited outside her room for almost half an hour before a servant finally let him, and then another ten minutes in a chair. Finally, she came out of her bathroom dressed in a white terrycloth bathrobe with a matching towel wrapped around her head. She raised an eyebrow at him and then turned her back and began to preen in front of the large mirror.  
  
   
  
“You may speak. Take off that silly hood as well, you should know better by now.”  
  
“I just wanted to thank you Majesty for your patience and leniency this morning. I was also hoping that maybe I could make up for my error.” Zeal checked her eyes and skin in the mirror with a patience that bordered on obsession, ignoring him.  
  
“Is that all?”  
  
“I was also wondering if you had taken precautions regarding our meeting the other night.”  
  
“Oh, is that what's worrying you? Have no fear. I just wanted an heir and your seed has already taken root. Congratulations by the way.” Magus felt the world drop around him and felt punch drunk before finally shaking his head. She had said it like she was talking about the weather.  
  
“Are you sure of that?” Zeal chuckled derisively and examined the tip of her nose in the mirror before wiggling it.  
  
“No, I'm not. You think I want another terror like Janus at my age? You must be mad. No, I have a spell for that as well, you can fire inside me all you want my dear sweet Prophet.”  
  
“Thank the Gods.” Magus breathed.  
  
“So tell me the reason you were really late today, and don't tell me you were still tired. It's clear you manage your pain very well.”  
  
“It was Dalton.”  
  
“Ah.” Zeal said. “You weren't seeing someone else then?” Magus frowned. What did she mean?  
  
“I was seeing a few of Dalton's flunkies, but they won't trouble me again.”  
  
“Do you know why I tolerate you Prophet? Other than your powers of foresight?” He thought of several smart responses but quashed them, if there was anyone in the world who couldn't take a joke, it was his mother.  
  
“No your Majesty.”  
  
“Janus' father was a very attractive, very charming man. He was far more fun than my husband, not so needy, less strings. Unfortunately for him, I caught him with his dick in one of the whoring maids and that's why he isn't with us anymore, sad to say. You remind me so of him, do you know that? That haughty face and the way you carry yourself.” Zeal stood with her hands on the vanity, her back to Magus, but she looked him in the eyes from her reflection. “I would hate for you follow in his footsteps.” Magus wondered for a moment if she could possibly be serious before remembering just how unstable she was.  
  
“Why would I want another when I have the favor of the Queen of the entire universe?” Magus asked, and Zeal nodded as if this should be self evident. Her robe dropped to the floor with a whisper and his eyes traced the lines of her arched back and the curves down to the round half moon of her ass cheeks. From the angle he could just barely make out the soft lips between them. Her face was clean of makeup from her bath and her skin glistened. He knew what she wanted and would just have to take the hit this time, appalling as it was. Steeling himself, he strode over and softly nibbled his mother's ear and then the nape of her neck. She didn't turn but accepted his kiss as he licked her neck softly down to the shoulders and let his fingers trace down her hardening nipples to the bottoms of her breasts. He began to kneed the large scoops of flesh around in his hands when she abruptly turned and slapped him across the face, hard. Magus held his face for a moment and made the mistake of beginning to smile and then she slapped him again across the other side.  
  
“You presumptuous insect, how dare you think you can simply fuck me and all will be forgiven? I own you and you will do nothing unless I allow it. Get out of my sight and don't come back before I call for you, understand? Before I call you.” Magus slowly let his hand drop from his stinging cheek and lowered his eyes. The crazy tart! Still, she was dealt with for the moment, and he was relieved that she hadn't responded to his advances. He could have forced himself to make it with her again but if she was done with him, all the better. With any luck he'd be tossed aside for some new toy and he would only have that one night of shame to live with. Bowing as graciously as he could, Magus made his exit.  
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
Night passed, and Magus slept fitfully for a few hours. The wards in his bedroom were already strong, but he had added a few of his own so if Dalton felt lucky he would be getting a painful surprise. The black oblivion of sleep turned silver and he began to dream. He dreamed that he had gone with Schala to Enhasa after all and they had spent the day by the edge of the island, kicking their feet over the stratosphere and laughing and talking, just like they had when he was a kid. As far away from the palace and their mother and Lavos as one could reasonably go. Schala leaned against his shoulder in a reversal of the way he had leaned against her when he was younger, and he had enjoyed the feeling of his sister's hair against him and the comforting weight of her head on his shoulder. She patted his hand and he squeezed hers in return and told her how much he had missed her all these years, of all the pain he had endured and she had just listened in her quiet, patient way.  
  
“I'm tired Janus, I'd like to lay in your lap for awhile.” She said blinking owlishly at him and he smiled in return.  
  
“Go ahead.” She lay her head in his lap and he stroked her hair, watching the clouds drift by. He hadn't realized it as a boy, but this truly was heaven. He felt a touch on his thigh and looked down. Schala was staring up at him but now she wore an expression of yearning.  
  
“Something feels...hard down here. Whatever could it be?” She breathed and her hands slipped along his legs and began to undo his belt.  
  
“Schala, what are you doing? Stop that!”  
  
“What does it look like I'm doing? I want to taste you. I thought you liked me, you told me you're always thinking of me.” Her eyes were half lidded and her smile was sensuous as he felt the fingers touch his skin. He moaned in spite of himself and struggled to push her off him but he had no strength.  
  
“Of course I always think of you, you're my sister!”  
  
“Half sister, remember. Don't tell me you don't like this Janus...” Her fingers traced a soft line down to his cock and just the lightest touch was almost enough to send him over the edge.  
  
“No, no, no...” Magus thrashed against his pillow and the dream became fuzzy and began to fade. He awoke gradually from the fog to feel the not unpleasant sensation of the brush of soft lips on his body and large breasts on his leg. A head moved under the covers; hot breath on his stomach, then a snaking series of kisses up to his chest. A moist tongue licked his nipple, and then a playful bite. Slender fingers wrapped around his cock and began to jerk gently, bringing him to full attention. As the covers parted his mother the Queen emerged like a succubus. Her hair was down, her face flushing prettily, and she wore a sheer nightgown that clung to her full figured body. She had a playful expression on her lips, and this combined with everything else made her look disturbingly younger, in the moonlight she could have been Schala's older sister. No, forget that, forget the dream. She straddled him, gripping his shaft tightly and grinned expectantly at him with hungry green eyes glittering at him in the semi-dark.  
  
“Your Majesty, I-”  
  
“You failed me before Prophet. What are you going to do to make it up to me?”  
  
After the humiliation in the court he had been sure Zeal was done with him, but it seemed her love of games knew no bounds. He was too surprised and embarrassed to think of much.  
  
“I...I'm going to lick you all over.” Her grip eased a little, the stroking became gentle again and quickened a little as her condescending little grin widened. She lifted her gown and her glorious breasts hung directly before his eyes like ripe fruit, the nipples pointed in the moonlight. They were like stiff pink pomegranates as he took one between his teeth and urged it with his tongue. She held his head tightly against her chest, enveloping his face between her tits as he suckled.  
  
“Such a good boy. What else?” He wracked his brain, what else could he do?  
  
“I'm going to fuck you all night long.” He said a little more confidently. Her mouth quirked, and she pushed him back down onto the pillow. Her voice was deep and self-assured.  
  
“I guess it will have to do. First, show me your repentance and worship your Queen.” She turned around and began to suckle on his balls and run the tip of her warm tongue along his scrotum before taking Magus fully into her mouth. As she thrust her ample ass above his face he could smell her salty scent. He had never seen Zeals' slit so close previously, her peach quivered before him, rosy and begging to be eaten. He had already fucked his mother once, another time wouldn't make any difference to whatever powers may be. Closing his eyes he grasped her hips and pulled her pussy to his mouth. Her soft folds yielded to his tongue as he licked and stuck it as far as he could before fluttering it up and down. Her petals parted and he twirled his tongue within her finding her taste to be both sweet and tangy. He felt his cock go even deeper into Zeal's throat and felt himself sliding along her lips. She straddled his face and bore down on him then, urging his tongue deeper until he could hardly breathe. She had ceased her sucking and now spread her folds so his tongue could find easier access.  
  
“That's right, lick my pussy. Lick it!”  
  
He lapped at her, before gently sucking on the pearl of her clit. Her nectar flowed over his lips and she squealed approval as she ran a hand through his hair. Her hips shuddered hard against his face and then she grasped Magus' cock and mounted him.  
  
“I am going to ride you till you pop.” Zeal said before her hips came down and Magus slid into her effortlessly. She sat on his full length and bit her lower lip, stifling a moan. She pressed one hand against his chest to stead herself and cupped a large breast with the other as she worked against him, bucking and twisting her hips mercilessly before torturing him with a rapid series of short pumps. If this was how it was to be he intended to give as good as he got, Magus resolved as he ran his hands down her sides to her waist before squeezing her ass in his hands. He felt her cheeks jiggle as she bounced up and down on his member, and then he slapped and pinched them hard.  
  
“Oh yes...give it to me. Suck on my tits, bite them!” They were bouncing rhythmically and Magus did so, sucking and then biting softly into the soft flesh with his teeth. Her cry of pleasure urged him on and he bit harder on her nipples and felt her loins shiver in response. He drove his cock into Zeal, concentrating only on taking satisfaction from her and she increased her pace, bouncing up and down on his length. You heartless whore he thought, and slipping a hand down her round cheek, he found her anus and tentatively slipped a pinkie in. When she only continued to moan he began to insert it in time with his thrusts and her cries became even louder. He wondered just how far she would let him go.  
  
Suddenly Zeal grabbed his hands and pressed them against the bed and grinned down at him. Holding his wrists down, she focused her movement on her hips, drawing him out slowly and then then driving down hard. The pressure was intense and then she pistoned rapidly, squeezing his cock inside herself.  
  
“I'm going to cum, you've got to slow down.” He grunted, but her grip only tightened.  
  
“Go ahead, fill me with your hot cum!” She cried, and then stopped moving and thrust down. He felt himself drilling deeply into her and managed to hold it briefly before finally exploding inside of her.  
  
Zeal collapsed against him, still connected there and lay against his shoulder panting. She was making soft, satisfied little moans and he felt himself begin to drift off slightly. It had been better this time, knowing she wouldn't get pregnant, he had already been half ready after waking from the dream with Schala to this...he stopped himself, nauseated on multiple levels. None of it was right, he wasn't supposed to enjoy it. Zeal's lips brushed against him in a kiss that was almost affectionate and he returned it, slightly surprised and disturbed. For awhile they kissed like that, like he was a true lover instead of just trapped in this pyscho sexual power trip of hers, until he felt her hand caressing him beneath the sheets. He was exhausted, how could she go on? He felt the familiar tingling in his groin and there was a light glow beneath the sheets, she had cast that spell of hers on him again.  
  
“Surely you didn't think that was enough penance to satisfy me did you?”  
  
Magus let the lust spread and overtake him, like a drug. This time he was on top of her and eagerly sank himself into Zeal up to his balls, slipping into her like a hot silken pool of flesh that enfolded and squeezed tightly against his shaft. He invaded her again and again as she urged him on and the headboard banged against the wall. It was little wonder when there was finally a hesitant knock on the door. It was late, or early really, and Zeal was loud, practically screaming.  
  
“Go away you fool, I'm busy.” She yelled hoarsely at the door, and Magus for his part didn't even slow down, but lifted Zeal's knees over his arms and screwed her hard.  
  
“Yes, fuck me Prophet! You're so big for me! Oh yes, I can feel your cock deep inside me, right there!” Magus winced slightly thinking that the person at the door surely heard, but he was too hot to care as he was more focused on teasing Zeal's nipples.  
  
They finished doggy style as her cheeks slapped against his thighs, he pulled her against him with each thrust until her lurid urgings became husky groans. This time she let him release outside and it was an awesome sensation to give her a string of pearls across her chest, almost to her lips. Going with the moment he pulled her crown of blue hair to his cock and after a moment she tentatively began to lick him. He knew he was losing his self control each time but only the pleasure seemed to matter.  
  
Magus fell asleep afterwards, only to wake up in the early hours of morning with dawn beginning to creep in. Zeal was asleep next to him and the first thing he became aware of, even through his exhaustion was her smooth bare ass lying against his leg. It was the afterglow of her spell he told himself, that's all it was. He kissed and nibbled her ear and she grunted something unintelligible and swatted him away. Not to be deterred he began fondling the full breasts and running a finger along the cleft of her pussy. She complained wordlessly and tried to sleep but his insistent fingers began to become moist and the more she squirmed the more he molested her. Holding her close he kissed her deeply and she began to respond as the tongue intertwined delicately with his. He wouldn't be letting her get any sleep this night either.  
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
All told he had her twice more that night, although that wasn't their last nocturnal visit. In the next few weeks they established something close to a routine. Zeal would berate and shame him in court and seemed to single him out in particular for the smallest things. She would call him an idiot, a dolt, a dullard, a charlatan almost as worthless as his prophecies. She would sometimes go for days at a time before calling on him again. Magus would pace and let the anger seeth and boil and would be sure that this time, this time she was really going to expel him and then he'd have to find some other way to get close to Lavos. After all the sacrifice and doubling down, even going so far as to be Zeal's personal toy, what did he have to show for it?  
   
  
A night or two would pass, and Zeal would come to him in the same manner as that first night. Magus would wind up banging her in every position he knew, and even experimented with some more acrobatic maneuvers. He grew to know his mother's body intimately and far more about sex with her than he ever intended, including which angles and positions she preferred and which tender spots he could ravage to make her lose all control. Sex for Zeal was as much about dominance and ego as it was physical pleasure, she mostly enjoyed it fast and angry after thoroughly teasing and denying Magus until he was in a frenzy. She would try to dominate him and sometimes he allowed it but usually didn't, focusing all his energy and rage those times into putting it to her. Zeal seemed to love the fighting as much as she loved control, and ran hot and cold as the mood took her.  
  
She often used the sex spell which would wear him out later while giving him the vitality and drive of a beast in heat. The subsequent spells still overcame his reason but they weren't nearly as tiring as the first casting and he would make it through the day, though as a zombie. It was difficult to tell if it was the magic or the endless fucking that tired him so, Zeal could be insatiable. They didn't have sex every day, but almost every other, and when they did they would go for hours. Zeal seemed to have the kind of sex drive only the insane possess, and her cravings seemed to increase the more time she spent around the Mammon Machine. Still other times he was able to exhaust her through sheer willpower until she would lay back, panting heavily with his white seed glistening across her heaving chest before falling asleep, but always she was gone before he woke up.  
  
Another time, they had been consulting privately for an hour, Zeal was listening seriously as he weaved the truth and lies into a glittering tapestry of claptrap. Magus had told her something along the lines of seeing her reigning atop the clouds with the power of Lavos for countless millenia, when he heard the soft rustle of her clothes falling to the floor and looked up to see her naked body offered to him. He had lifted the Queen up by her legs as she cried in delight and then propelled himself upwards deep inside her. Magus hammered his mother as hard as he dared against her dresser, the vibrations shaking the mirror and causing several brushes and pieces of jewelry to clatter to the floor. Zeal bucked against him frenetically and he had pinned her wrists against the wall and driven into her ceaselessly until exploding inside of her. He had filled her up, enjoying the connection and the release of all the tension and lust inside of himself until it pooled out and began to run down their legs. They had stayed like that for awhile as she clenched him down there, kissing almost tenderly before she had excused herself to shower and Magus felt the strong urge to follow in for another round but had stopped himself...barely. He didn't initiate the sex, at least not before she used the spell. It had become an incredibly feeble lie as of late, but it felt necessary to keep telling it to himself. After the abuse and arrogance from her it was an incredible release and the endless sessions of fucking had worn down his resistance to the act orgasm by orgasm. More and more often, he wanted simply to take her.  
  
Aside from the business of the encounters with his mother turning into an affair his plans proceeded smoothly, and Magus resolved he would analyze and agonize over his shame only after destroying Lavos. The servants knew, or suspected at least, everyone talked of how energized the Queen seemed, how aglow, but that could be passed off on the Mammon Machine. Magus was sure that he saw suspicious eyes from the men and sly smiles from the women, but if they suspected he was the one playing their Queen's body like a finely tuned instrument they said nothing directly. Dalton was either oblivious or just wouldn't believe, though Magus saw precious little of him as they concentrated on readying the Ocean Palace. Queen Zeal might tolerate a little rough and tumble rivalry but she would have fed even Dalton to the fish if he had dared jeopardize the palace...or so Magus hoped.  
  
Schala was kept busy, always communing, always drawing power, always calibrating so that she could draw still more power. A cog, that's all she is to her mother Magus thought bitterly. The most important cog perhaps, but that was all. She often looked how Magus felt from the strain, but the heavy bags under her eyes couldn't tarnish her beauty in his mind. More than anything seeing her strung out that way made him want to scrap his plans, to hell with Zeal, to hell with Lavos. Though always that cold and detached voice inside him that had guided him since he was a child whispered that his best hope for victory, for both of them, was to follow his head. It had guided him through the darkness of the Middle Ages, drove him to do a thousand things he had no stomach for, and distasteful as it was, that black and clinically cruel voice had brought him to this moment. He would listen to it one more time. Until he didn't.  
  
Of all the things that could have failed him, it was Magus' own memory. It was just another day in court, months later, and everyone had arrived except Schala He had shifted uncomfortably as the minutes ticked dryly on; she was never late. The court looked at one another like sheep before a thunderstorm, even Dalton began to look nervous as the drumming of Queen Zeal's fingers against her throne grew louder and more impatient with each passing second. Almost a half hour passed before she stood up and pointed at an adviser seemingly at random.  
  
“Where is my daughter?” She demanded, and the man looked as if he wished he could fade into the floor.  
  
“Y-your, your M-Majesty, she-”  
  
“Where!?”  
  
“She hasn't arrived yet.” The man said lamely and looked around him as if someone might speak up, but the room was silent. Zeal's hand outstretched and began to glow slightly and he gulped.  
  
“By your leave Majesty, I'll, I'll go find her, alright?” He didn't wait for her leave, but bolted out of the throne. The glow around Zeal's hand dimmed and she began to drum her fingers again and the court waited. It was like being in a locked room with a large bomb. After several more minutes the adviser finally came back, flanked by some guards.  
  
“My Q-Queen!” The adviser stammered and then elbowed the guard next to him roughly. The guard stepped forward and though he had a better handle on it than the sniveling adviser Magus could tell he was frightened.  
  
“Your Majesty, Prince Schala is nowhere to be found in the palace. I had all my men comb top to bottom.”  
  
“My son...my useless son.” Zeal said darkly and Magus started before remembering himself. “Where is Janus? Those two are as thick as thieves, he'll know where Schala is.”  
  
“We've...already thought of that. He's also missing.” The guard said this in the voice of a man committing suicide when Dalton spoke up.  
  
“My Queen, perhaps the good Prophet would tell us where both the royal siblings have gotten themselves off to. You would think the disappearance of the heirs to the throne would be important to the future of this kingdom, maybe he could favor us with a vision or two.” Dalton smirked and Magus wondered if it would affect the future terribly if he were to put out the bastard's other eye. Had he kidnapped them just to make him look bad?  
  
“Security is your responsibility Dalton, you're in charge of these twits.” Zeal's words were like ice and Dalton's grin vanished as if he had been slapped. “Still, your words have some merit.” Zeal gave Magus a layered look. “Are you worth your salt my Prophet?” He was silent a long moment, his mind racing.  
  
“Of course your Majesty. If you would do me the courtesy of giving me one minute or two to...commune with the spirits, I'll tell you exactly what's become of your children.”  
  
“Very well then.” Zeal's voice was poised and her expression had also cooled. Magus closed his eyes and murmured nonsense for effect as he wracked his brain. It seemed like one of Dalton's plays, except it was far, far too risky. Even if it was something as harmless as diverting Schala, Zeal would see it for what it was and Dalton's head would roll right after his own. No, something like this had happened before. Schala had not shown up to one of the court appointments, but he had been Janus then. He had been with her, where had they been? What was so special about today? Nothing, nothing except his...Magus groaned inwardly. Today was his, Janus' birthday. Of course everyone had forgotten, including himself, only Schala had remembered.  
  
“They are both alive and well, several miles from here.” He proclaimed. “Outside a small cave in the mountain.”  
  
“What? Whatever in the world are they doing there?” Zeal was flabbergasted. Celebrating my tenth birthday you slut, he thought, but it wouldn't do to embarrass her publicly.  
  
“I think perhaps it would be best to let them explain themselves.”  
  
“Fine. You there.” She pointed a slender finger at the guard. “Bring them here at once.” Magus stepped forward with a bow.  
  
“It would be far faster if I retrieved them myself Majesty, please allow me and I will bring them both back.”  
  
“Once again you please me Prophet, bring them back as quickly as possible. I needn't remind you of the price of failure.” With a gesture she dismissed the guards, to their great relief. “Shall we wait for you?”  
  
“Don't trouble yourself, it will take me some time and I'm sure you have important matters.”  
  
“Always. At least someone around here is useful.” She looked pointedly at Dalton, who had the grace to look at his feet. Probably thinking how his big mouth had done him another turn Magus thought. “We'll salvage what we can and discuss this matter further. Tonight.” In bed, he saw from the ghost of her smile. He had the perverse urge to shout to the court, yes I'm fucking her! Instead he left with a bow.  
  
   
  
   
  
Magus was unsure of the path at first, it had been better than fifteen years since he'd last gone, but eventually he remembered. A network of caves flowed throughout the mountain Zeal Palace sat on, this small cave opened out onto a grassy, wind swept plateau with a breathtaking view of the cloud sea, beautiful enough to rival anywhere else in the kingdom, and only he and Schala knew of it. It was one of their secret places, away from prying eyes and open ears of the palace, and it was here they had gone to celebrate his birthday in their small and pathetic way. Magus, or rather, Janus had been in a black depression over their mother and Schala had insisted they would go forward with the party even though she hadn't a minute to spare and nobody else could be bothered. So they had played hookie and come to the cave. They had eaten a small cake Schala had brought and she had given him a painstakingly carved quartz figurine of a dragon, because he liked such things, and talked and played games for hours. The guards never did find them, and they had only gone back to the palace at sundown. His mother had been furious and had slapped Schala and had hit him so hard he couldn't move his jaw right for days. Despite that it had been one of the last good times, as he remembered. It wouldn't be more than two months now until Lavos made a memory of the kingdom.  
  
Janus was leaning against Schala's arm, their backs to Magus. An uncomfortable echo of his dream came to him, but he dismissed it. It would't do to scare them too much, so he tossed several pebbles against the rock. After a minute Janus began to look around, and when the two of them stood up Magus stepped out from behind the rock. Janus was so startled he almost went over the edge anyway and only the distance and Schala's grip prevented him from a long fall.  
  
“Prophet! You scared us half to death. What are you doing here?” Schala was holding her hand to her heart, his entrance and the near fall had left her breathless.  
  
“I was sent by the Queen to retrieve you, it's time to come home.”  
  
“How did you find us? Nobody else knew we were coming here today.”  
  
“I would be much of a Prophet if I couldn't see these things. it will go much easier on both of you if come home now with me instead of at sundown like you're planning.”  
  
“How would you know?” Janus spat, and kicked a little bit of dirt his way. In truth, Magus didn't, but it was an educated guess.  
  
“I know, just like I know that Schala got you that dragon figurine for your birthday. Today.” Even Janus' eyes widened a little and Schala squeezed his shoulder to reassure him.  
  
'I believe you Prophet,” she said sadly, “But I've had no time with my little brother in all these months and this is his one day, maybe the only day that we'll get to spend together. Please just give us a few more hours.” Oh Schala he thought, if I could only tell you how right you are. I would take the three of us away, time stream be damned and forget this accursed place.  
  
“It's still early.” Magus checked the sun. “I can spare an hour at most.”  
  
“Thank you so, you don't know what this means to us.” They sat and cloud watched, as Magus unsettling presence mostly killed the festivities until Schala had hesitantly asked if he wanted to sit with them.  
  
“It's...ok. I'm more comfortable here.”  
  
“Why are you so nice to him?” Janus asked. “He wants to take us back, he's one of mother's lackies!”  
  
“We all have to obey mother, it's not his fault. Sometimes we all have to do things we don't like Janus. “ She nodded to Magus and smiled softly.  
  
“Some birthday.” Janus threw a stone off the side, and then another, perhaps to hit some unlucky Earthbound. “A couple crummy hours and I have to share you with that creepy Prophet. Nobody even cared I turned ten today except you Schala!”  
  
“Not so Prince Janus! I remembered it was your birthday. In fact today is my birthday as well.” Janus eyed him distrustfully.  
  
“You don't need to tease me, I'm not as stupid as you look you know.” Magus let it slide off him, it wasn't hard to insult yourself after all.  
  
“It's true, I know how important today was for you. That's why I also got you a gift.”  
  
“Yeah? I don't need money, I'm the Prince you know.”  
  
“So I keep hearing.” He said. What could he give himself? Perhaps his earrings, they were a pair of fangs from an unlucky Gnasher who had picked a fight with him early in his career, and Magus wore them as a warning to others as much as a fashion statement. No, no...wait! Digging in his cloak Magus produced a pocket sized portrait of Schala. Paintings of the royals were easy to obtain, and this one had been magically enhanced so that the colors were vibrantly surreal. There were no more pictures like this in the future, Magus reflected, and he had deeply regretted that all he been able to keep of Schala in that grim place was the amulet. He handed it to Janus whose face lit up.  
  
“I can't believe someone else remembered! Schala, look, they got your eyes just right, this-” He stopped and looked at Magus. “Say, what are you doing carrying around a picture of my sister anyway?” Schala was also giving him a peculiar look, what was that look? He felt himself blush hotly.  
  
“I bought it for your birthday, I thought it would be to your tastes. Of course, if you don't want it...”  
  
“No, no, I'm sorry. It's really, really great. Thank you.” Schala's smile was radiant and even Janus was smiling. He hated to part with that picture, it had been his favorite, but their smiles made it a bargain. As they walked back to the palace Magus had felt at ease with them. Janus seemed at least willing to tolerate him now and Schala had really warmed up to him, it was almost like old times. Janus bounced ahead, kicking and jumping off the larger rocks as Schala and Magus walked side by side chatting.  
  
“I never knew you wrote. What is it about?” He asked and Schala blushed.  
  
“It's just a stupid little thing I was working on. About men from the moon that come and invade Zeal and then we fight them off.” Like Lavos he thought.  
  
“I would have never figured you for the type to write those things. I always figured you for a...” She was looking at him expectantly. “A girlie girl.” She laughed and walked a little closer..  
  
“I thought you knew everything, you walk around acting like it enough. Sometimes you're just like Janus.”  
  
“Why would you ever say that?” Magus turned his head.  
  
“Just that you both try to act so distant and menacing, but you're not that way at all. I guess I'm not explaining it well.” She looked at Janus as he kicked the dust and waited for the 100th time for the two adults to catch up. “It seems like nobody even tries to understand him but me.”  
  
“You're his sister. Siblings are supposed to get along.” Magus said tonelessly.  
  
“Nobody would care if we didn't. It wouldn't be so strange either, an older sister ignoring her brother. He's only my half brother too, did you know that? So it wouldn't be so strange, but...” She trailed off and watched Janus with softening eyes. “Anyways, that's how I feel. You both have that same aura of loneliness, because you're protecting yourselves.”  
  
“I'm doing nothing of the sort.”  
  
“Then why do you wear this everywhere you go?” She tugged at his hood and he grasped it, pulling away from her defensively. He felt like he was shrinking every moment beneath her questioning gaze.  
  
“Ok, you're right, I don't like to be seen alright?”  
  
“Alright...thank you for the gift for Janus. You have to admit a picture of me was an odd pick for a birthday present.”  
  
“It wasn't the least bit odd, it was exactly right. Any fool could see how much the boy loves you.”  
  
“I've seen the way you look at me sometimes.” Schala said quietly, and Magus stiffened. He should have listened to that voice inside and kept his distance, this was becoming all kinds of difficult for him. “You have the same aura and the same look...” Magus stopped dead in his tracks, he didn't dare meet Schala's eyes.  
  
“I don't know what you're talking about... **Princess**. I'm sorry, I'm very flattered but you're simply wrong. I feel protectiveness for you the same way I would feel for any member of the royal family, and that's all.” Schala nodded slowly and he could see that she was confused and disappointed, but this was all one more confusion he didn't need in his life. Long moments passed until Janus finally bawled at them to hurry up. They walked together for a minute or two in silence.  
  
“It was a beautiful and thoughtful gift Prophet, but we didn't get you anything for your birthday.”  
  
“Think nothing of it Princess.” He said steadfastly avoiding her first name. “Janus' happiness was gift enough.”  
  
“Now wait...I just remembered I do have a birthday gift for you.” Schala stopped and a wicked grin spread across her face that Magus recognized from his childhood. She always grinned like that when he was being especially gloomy and she would find a way to tease and cheer him up.  
  
“What...what are you doing?” Schala drew close to him, and her eyes were closed, almost reverently. Her arms encircled his neck and she gently drew his head to her face. Before he could react, she kissed him on the cheek. Magus touched the cheek as if it had been scalded and Schala smiled a little shyly at his expression,  
  
“That was a kiss from the Princess of Zeal, that should be worth something shouldn't it? Well...we should head back.”  
  
“Y-yes, we should.” He blurted and they continued their trek.  
  
That was how it started. Forgetting his own birthday, a makeshift gift to himself, and his sister flirting with him, all while he helped the kingdom march on to it's own inevitable doom and his mother the Queen fucking him every other night. That one time he didn't listen to the dispassionate voice inside and didn't shoot Schala down with finality...but he loved his sister, and only his sister, so what happened next perhaps wasn't so hard to understand.  
  
   
  
   
  
_  
  
Authors notes:  
  
This chapter almost wrote itself, still longer than I'd like even after dropping some subplot, although I liked the sex scene I think it coulda used more cowbell, but unfortunately needed to devote a big part of this chapter to plot setup. Luckily this was the big setup, the good news is next chapter you can expect ALOT more sex. Even back in the SNES days I always figured Schala and Janus for half siblings with the way Janus was always treated as a pariah, it made more sense they had different fathers.  
  
Next chapter  
  
Magus sends the wrong signal to Schala and Zeal becomes jealous. Chrono and crew arrive and get dual teched by Magus and Zeal if you know what I'm saying. A Titan against a Titan, D-Cup against D-Cup, Zeal and Ayla take all those deviantart pictures you've seen to their logical conclusion._


	4. Perversion

Chapter 4: Perversion  
  
  
  
_Patrick Bateman: I'd like a girl, early 20's, blonde, who does couples. Couples. And I really can't stress blonde enough. Blonde._  
  
  
  
Magus's face scrunched involuntarily against the bitter taste of the coffee and Schala laughed softly before taking another sip. The coffee had disgusted him as a child, he thought coming back to it now might make a difference but no luck. Schala always drank it like a fiend, it was one of those things that had made him think of her as an "adult" when he was small. Now he had eight years on her.  
  
"So that was the last time I took Janus down to the surface for a few years. He complained about the cold and the Earthbound the whole way back and I had to get him Alfador before he'd talk to me again. Did you ever go to Algetty?"  
  
"When I was a kid, before your time I suspect."  
  
They were having an early breakfast on the outside veranda, Schala was sitting across from him and it was just the two of them. They didn't get much free time but he found himself spending most of it with her these days. It was comforting, in a way it helped him gather his strength to face each day. That he could make Schala laugh that musical silver bell laugh of hers was a wonderful feeling that Magus just wasn't ready to give up yet. She was less formal with him now and even Janus had allowed Magus into his tiny circle. Janus seemed to enjoy his older self's dark sarcasm and Magus had learned to live with the fact that like most people, he had also been a stupid little kid once.  
  
"I'd love to hear more about your childhood. I'm afraid I always talk your ear off."  
  
"I was raised by seers, and when my gift developed enough I came here to serve the royal family. The details would bore you to tears. One long sob story."  
  
"I'm sure it was more interesting than that." Schala said thoughtfully, stirring some cream in. He had fed her a heavily edited account of his life and she sensed he wasn't being completely honest. At least he had tried to tell the emotional truth of it all. Magus much preferred getting her to open up about herself, he hated always having to lie to her of all people. She sipped her coffee and looked at the cotton clouds. "I hope this can last. I think I'd like to go swimming today."  
  
"I suppose we'll have to then. There's no telling when we'll get another day like today." Magus grinned at her and had more of the awful coffee, even sugar didn't help. Still nothing could kill his mood. It was good to spend time with his sister no matter what the future might hold and they had had an incredible run of good luck recently. Miracle of miracles, his mother had caught a terrible cold that had gotten worse in a hurry and she was in no condition to come down on anyone right now. The Kingdom of Zeal could crack the secrets of space time but they couldn't cure the common cold he marveled. The Queen continued to try and micromanage but her orders often devolved into hacking and she could barely stay awake in court as things were. Everything was still moving smoothly without Zeal's overbearing despotism and everyone was breathing a little easier. It couldn't last of course, but they had this afternoon to themselves if they wanted.  
  
"I still can't believe she's given us this much leeway after all these weeks. One of these days you'll have to tell me exactly what you said to her Prophet." Or did for her Magus remembered. Queen Zeal had been livid at Schala and Janus for playing hooky for the birthday party and had been ready to flay the both of them before Magus had been able to step in and deflect the worst of it.  
  
"That lazy, irresponsible, selfish...! She's not just neglecting her duties, she's turning her back on her kingdom! Of all the frivalous...oh!" Magus smirked and massaged Zeal's tense back, kneeding the muscles and willing the pleasure from his finger tips into the older woman. He had confidence in his technique and he was trying hard this time. She lay naked on her stomach as he straddled her bare buttocks. He was likewise naked, running his palms over her shoulders in tight circles. She sighed and relaxed beneath his grip as he leaned down and kissed a shoulder. It was nothing to be proud of but Magus had to admit being the Queen's unwilling concubine had given him some additional "influence" over her. Seducing his mother was a very small price if it would help Schala and advance his plans. Zeal had been practically raving, wound tight enough to snap but he had waited patiently for a break in the rant and casually proposed the massage and she had eventually relented.  
  
"She acts out to release the pressure from being pushed so hard. Communicating with the Mammon Machine is very taxing. If she had some time to recover each day she you may get more work out of her."  
  
"She barely does enough as is!" Zeal snapped. "You're proposing that I let her run around and do what she likes while the opportunity slips away for-oh! Oh yes, that feels good." Magus squeezed where her neck met her shoulders and she practically purred as he doubled his efforts on her back.  
  
"Of course I'm not proposing you let her run around after all. She trusts me now, I can keep her in line. Give her a little time each day and I guarantee you I'll improve her output."  
  
"Oh? How much?"  
  
"5000 Megagaspars, at least."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?" He teased and wrung her muscles between his hands. Now she was practically melting under his touch and her legs stretched as she sank into the mattress.  
  
"No..." The word came out of Zeal more like an exhale, without much conviction.  
  
"Nobody does their best when they're constantly stressed. Especially such delicate work as drawing from Lavos. Relax your grip a little and I'll pick up the slack and watch over them. There's more important matters that need your royal attention..." Magus nibbled Zeal's ear and dragged himself along her backside to give weight to his argument and she arched against him slightly in response.  
  
"That girl and her brother will kill me from all the stress before I have a chance to be immortal. You'll report to me if she does or says anything funny?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I bet you just want to get close to my daughter so you can seduce her. Men are all the same way." Zeal said it playfully but it was good that she couldn't see the scowl she put on Magus' face. The idea was the farthest thing from his mind but she was so insecure she was actually in competition with her own daughter! He let his fingers run down Zeal's spine, causing her to shiver in response.  
  
"Why would I want a girl when I can have a woman?" Magus asked, nipping her neck softly and letting his fingers slip down to her slit as he parted her legs. She moaned and spread herself a little wider as he slipped a finger inside. She was starting to grow wet and the argument continued to turn to his favor from there...  
  
"Hey! Hey are you still with us?" Schala snapped her fingers in front of Magus' face and he blushed slightly. He had serviced their mother with his tongue until she had agreed to all his suggestions. Oh gods, yes, she had agreed.  
  
"Sorry, it's a little early for me."  
  
"So anyway how about Vitreus this afternoon, what do you think?"  
  
"Well now what do we have here?" A smug voice asked and Magus felt all the pleasantness of the morning drain away. Dalton walked over, grinning nastily, flanked by two of his thugs.  
  
"Two normal people having breakfast. You should try it sometime Dalton. Being normal I mean, I don't care if you skip breakfast." Schala quipped.  
  
"That's just hilarious, isn't it boys? The Queen wanted to make sure you weren't slacking off while she indisposed. You're supposed to be working the Mammon Machine not screwing around.  
  
"Are you kidding me? Have you seen the numbers from yesterday?" Schala asked and Dalton's greasy grin widened.  
  
"That was yesterday. The Queen wants to see better. Hey, I don't make the weather, I only report it. Now why don't you come with me and we'll get started?"  
  
"I'll go myself! I'm not going anywhere with you three!""  
  
"What a bad influnence the Prophet must be that you talk to your loyal captain so Princess." Dalton said in quiet amazement. "I'll have to tell your mother how disobedient you're becoming."  
  
"Back off." Magus said quietly and Dalton's good eye rolled in his direction.  
  
"If she hadn't run off with that brat I wouldn't have to be out here. If you two don't like all the extra security blame your phony Prophet for his scare mongering. As if there were any trouble makers I didn't know about." He pointed at Magus for emphasis. " Now you'll be coming with us won't you?" Schala tensed as they came forward and Magus stood up.  
  
"It's fine, I'll take her myself."  
  
"Are you going to make trouble for me too?"  
  
"You know perfectly well she's safer with me than you and say, four of your men Dalton." There was a dangerous silence among them for a long moment and Dalton spat on Magus' boot.  
  
"You'll take complete responsibility if something happens to your pretty little friend Prophet. Now get the hell out of here."  
  
  
  
  
  
"What did you mean before?" Schala asked as they walked the hall side by side. He had tried vainly to distance himself from her for weeks but it seemed nothing but outright cruelty would do the job. She always had her way of slipping through all the barriers he put between them and she was damned persistent. No matter how offputting he had tried to be her gentle patience won out and somehow made his seriousness look silly.  
  
"What did I mean about what?"  
  
"When you said I was safer with you than four of his men. It was weirdly specific."  
  
"I'm just a weirdly specific guy I guess. Dalton knew exactly what I meant. Since when do you talk to him like that anyway?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe it's just your sense of humor or confidence but I really do feel safe when I'm around you." He glanced at her sincere green eyes and regarded the stonework. Looking into them too long was dangerous. It made him question his resolve. She looked a little embarassed and after only a moment too long she said: "Or maybe it's always hanging around Janus. You two are rubbing off on me. If things weren't as bad as they are I'd honestly just ditch this right now and go to Vitreus."  
  
"Just play along for now and we'll hit the lake just as planned. It's only a few hours."  
  
"Ok...thanks." She smiled that smile at him and put a hand on his shoulder before walking off. Nearby one of the scholars laughed and shook his head before going back to his research. When had Magus got his priorities so screwed up he wondered to himself.  
  
  
  
  
  
The day was fair and warm and the slight breeze off Vitreus was refreshing without being brisk. Magus breathed it into his lungs, held it and released. They might all die when Lavos rose but damn it he needed this. His revenge could wait a day. He laughed and talked with Schala the whole way down and he hadn't seen her so light hearted forever. She had turned in a performance that day Zeal couldn't possibly bitch about and with her sick in bed there wasn't likely to be any blowback from an outing at the lake.  
  
"I thought Janus was going to join us."  
  
"He said he didn't want to get me in trouble again. It'll be ok, I'll make it up to him." Schala said, and smiled a little too broadly. She was a terrible liar. "So did you bring your swimsuit?"  
  
"I'm not going swimming. I'm just here as an observer. Go on and have fun."  
  
"Oh, you just want to observe huh?" Schala smiled wickedly at him and Magus felt himself flush under his hood. After he had given the birthday gift to Janus and intervened on their behalf with Zeal Schala had begun to flirt with him. It had been subtle at first but she was becoming more brazen every day. He had no idea at all what she saw in him but at least she wasn't as aggressive as their mother, she couldn't push him into a situation. Schala took her sandals before pulling her purple robe over her head. It caught in her hair and she struggled to get it over her head as Magus watched. Underneath it she was wearing an aquamarine bikini bottom that clearly showed off her buns. He could see the curved lines where the buttocks sat atop her long legs and as he blinked her shapely rear wiggled first this way then that as her head finally cleared her robe. She turned and he could see that the bottom joined the back with three thin parallel strings on each end, showing off her waist and legs. Her top was the same color, likewise tied around her back with three strings. The top covered most of her round breasts but it enhanced her cleavage to the point that it was very distracting. Her Dreamstone pendant lay between the breasts, glittering conspicuously. She noticed his look and covered herself self consciously with her arms.  
  
"Is it...is it too much?" Magus took a breath but somehow it wasn't enough.  
  
"Yes, yes it's too much! What the hell were you thinking? I'm only glad this beach is private!"  
  
"You don't like it?"  
  
"It's not a question of liking or not liking! I'm here to protect you and you're flaunting your..." He couldn't even finish but threw up his hands as if it should have been obvious and Schala flushed angrily.  
  
"Just because you cover yourself from head to toe doesn't mean I have to! I'm in those robes every day and sometimes I just want to feel the sun on my skin. I don't think there's anything wrong with this bathing suit. All the other girls wear something like this!"  
  
"You're not all the other girls, you're the Princess of Zeal!"  
  
"I'd give it up in a second." Schala said as she uncovered herself and put her arms up behind her long hair, proudly sticking her chest out. It wasn't a sexual pose though, somehow she still managed to look regal in a bikini. She was gorgeous with her topaz tresses blowing slightly in the breeze and her defiant jade eyes atop a young, lithe body. Her curves weren't as obvious as her mothers but they were balanced and supple. She was still more girl than woman but only barely. He looked away from her. "I'm not ashamed to be a person."  
  
"Schala." He started, but he was unsure how to finish as he heard her foot tap.  
  
"It's just a bathing suit! Why are you afraid to look at me? You'd think I'd have taken my top off!" He shook his head and said nothing, cursing his stupidity. The strings gave the impression of showing more skin than they really did, had he really expected her to wear the kind of frumpy suits the older women wore? Maybe. At the palace even her neck and arms were usually covered. She was right though, how conservative did he expect her to be?  
  
"It's really not THAT bad." He finally grated. "I apologize Schala. I have delicate sensibilities."  
  
"I don't believe that." She said and he looked up. She still had her hands above her head. "It's not a sin, not even near it compared to what we're doing to the Earthbound and people like Melchior every day." She stopped and shook her head. Magus said nothing, and the silence stung. "Are we really back to this again after all the times we've talked? What are you afraid of?"  
  
"Your mother." He said and her face slumped.  
  
"Well good thing she's sick. I'm not going to let her hang over my head today too." Schala reached into the small bag she had bought and removed a bottle of lotion. "Here, help me put this on."  
  
"Now really!"  
  
"Oh come on, I can't reach my back! If I knew you couldn't stand to rub lotion on a girl's back I would have had Janus do it!" It was just swimming with his sister, as Janus he would have thought nothing of it. It was her flirting and his mother that had gotten Magus all turned around. Removing his leather gloves he rubbed the lotion on his hands and rubbed it into Schala's slim neck and shoulders. Her head lolled back against his grip and a memory of doing something similar to his mother lanced at him. Hurriedly he rubbed the rest into her back, taking care to make his motions as brisk and impersonal as possible.  
  
"There, done!" Schala walked to the bank and slipped into the water with barely a ripple. In a moment she was up and screaming.  
  
"What's wrong!? Are you hurt!?"  
  
"No, no. Gods, it's like ice, I can't believe it, help me out!" He pulled his sister out and handed her the towel and she shivered like a leaf in the wind. "It's never been cold like that."  
  
"We're just lucky I guess. Do you want to go to Enhasa? I know a game with the dreaming crystal you've never played."  
  
"What about the hot springs? They have seperate baths for men and women if you still feel uncomfortable." Her skin was pale and prickled with goosebumps from the water but it didn't bother Magus now that the moment had passed.  
  
"That's fine."  
  
  
  
  
  
Magus sighed in satisfaction, feeling the hot water lap against his shoulders. The light breeze played wisps of steam off the milky blue spring, which was surrounded by lush green.  
  
"Are you ok over there?" Schala asked from behind the wood partition. Magus was leaning back against it, from the sound of it so was Schala.  
  
"Yes thank you, and you?"  
  
"Really wonderful, I'm so glad we got out today. Hey, are you naked?" She asked playfully and Magus frowned. He was wearing simple undershorts.  
  
"No..."  
  
"So are you wearing your hood over there and floating around like a big blue water lily?" She laughed and he almost caught himself joining, but stopped himself.  
  
"No..."  
  
"Then why don't you come over here and we can talk face to face? I seriously just want to talk with you, you don't have to be shy."  
  
"You think I'm shy?"  
  
"I know you are! You don't want anyone to see you, that's exactly what shy is. Even if you're scarred or something, I don't care about that at all. We're friends aren't we?"  
  
"Of course we are Schala, just..." He honestly didn't know with her, and he let it hang. There was the sound of some listless splashing and then her chastened voice from the other side of the partition.  
  
"I know it's stupid to keep insisting on it but you make people more curious about you the way you try to hide your face all the time. Maybe I got you out here because I had my heart set on finally seeing what you looked like. You just got me so frustrated before and I thought-"  
  
"It's fine." He said more curtly than he intended. "How are the Janin classes going?"  
  
"Oh, those. Not well I'm afraid, I still can't get the finger placements right. I tried playing "The Guru's Apprentice" and it came out sounding like my mother hacking up a hairball." Magus chuckled and let the hot springs soak his tired muscles. He hadn't expected to divert her that easily. "I might be further along but I hardly take lessons anymore. Even my magic lessons now. All I learn and practice is how to draw from the Mammon Machine." She sighed, a dejected sound.  
  
"It won't always be that way. There'll be time for everything you want to do in life later."  
  
"You don't really believe that. Everyone is always talking about immortality and ever lasting glory but nobody in the kingdom is thinking more than a few months into the future. So say we become immortal after all, then what? What would you do with immortality Prophet?"  
  
"Me? Catch up on my reading."  
  
"I'm serious!" More splashing as she shifted. Mentally, Magus shrugged.  
  
"So am I. I'll be honest with you, I could care less about immortality and I never really wanted much out of this life for myself. I think it's just an insane pipe dream."  
  
"Really? Then why-"  
  
"I told you. I don't want much for myself. Just to..." Destroy Lavos like the blight he is and save you. "Serve the kingdom. Now fair's fair, what would you do?"  
  
"I guess I haven't thought of it much. I don't want much for myself either. I would build a city for the Earthbound, I mean a real city. Bring them our medicine, our education, culture...heat. Food." Magus smiled, if anyone could have seen it they would have thought it looked as out of place on his features as Schala among the Earthbound. That was Schala, he thought. "Mother wouldn't need me anymore either. Maybe then I could finally have just that one thing for myself for a change, who needs a princess if the Queen lives forever?"  
  
"Conquering the universe not interesting enough? You'd rather do charity for Earthbound?"  
  
"It's not charity, it's simple sharing. We Enlightened take and take, surely we could give something back. Anyway, yes, I would rather. Today if I could."  
  
"So is that really all you want?"  
  
"Well, maybe just one more thing. A house on the surface, nothing huge. Something I could start and raise a family in."  
  
"It would be much colder down there than Vitreus was, all the time. Are you sure you could handle it?"  
  
"The Earthbound do, they get by with nothing you know. We used to live on the surface and now here we are living in the sky. Do you even appreciate that?" He didn't, but said nothing. In truth he didn't care for anyone or anything else, and the whole thing sounded hopelessly naive but when Schala talked about it, it sounded like a basic moral obligation. "Besides immortality could come in handy then, a little cold would be nothing, but I honestly don't need it." He heard the sounds of more splashing from her partition, and she sighed.  
  
"I know how it must sound when we're sitting here in a hot spring. Like I'm some guilt ridden poor little rich girl. Up here in Zeal, it's always warm." Schala said sourly.  
  
"Not always. Nothing lasts forever." Magus said thoughtfully, and then realizing what he said asked: "What about Janus?"  
  
"Ok, I didn't sell him on this trip too hard but he really does have studies and-"  
  
"No, no. I mean, what would you do with Janus if you moved to the surface?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, it just seemed, well...I was thinking he could come with me. Mother's not interested in raising him so it's been up to me for years. The Gurus and the servants used to help and then mother discovered the joys of Lavos. She and Janus both changed. She completely stopped caring about anything else and I guess Janus just stopped caring period. Except for me." Her voice was softening and Magus wanted to move the partition and see her face.  
  
"Call it a hunch but I don't think he would handle the surface well after the stories you told me."  
  
"He'd learn to love it. No expectations, no condescension, just life like we were meant to live. He doesn't need catered to, he needs something that matters. I think it would be good for him even if it was rough at first. Everyone think he's a spoiled brat but he's alot tougher than he looks. He's strong." He said nothing and after a minute she asked "Are you ok back there?"  
  
"Yes. If you don't mind hearing you talk is very soothing." It was stupid to say but the heat and her soft voice worked to unknit his ugly, gnarled soul, it was the most relaxed he had been in decades. Magus closed his eyes and let the water kiss his skin.  
  
"It's hard for me just to come up with things to say all the time. Ok, here goes. Is there a girl in your life?"  
  
"What do you mean, is there a girl?"  
  
"A girl that you like?"  
  
"Yes." He replied and left it at that. Another minute passed. She was right, the partition made conversation awkward.  
  
"Who is she? What's she like?" What a fool he'd been to get close to Schala again like this, but his defenses were down.  
  
"You of course." He said, playfully exaggerating it and he heard a flustered huff from the partition.  
  
"I'm serious!"  
  
"I mean it, you're the one Schala! You've stolen my heart!" He had never taken shelter in absurdity before and he could hear her gears clicking as she tried to figure out if he was serious.  
  
"So does that mean I can come over and join you there?" She asked a little shyly.  
  
"I'm seeing someone."  
  
"You cruel monster!" She laughed, but he could hear her dissapointment. At least she didn't sound pissed. "So who are you seeing?"  
  
"A noblewoman at the palace." It's strictly sexual he thought to add, but that would lead to all kinds of places he didn't want to go. "I like you a great deal more."  
  
"Then..."  
  
"I wouldn't want to be disloyal." He said, and there was silence from the partition. There, she had to respect that. "What about you Schala? Is there some lucky boy you're seeing?" More silence, and he called out a little nervously. "Schala?" Just when he was thinking he would have to get up and check on her there was the sound of metal on wood, and the partition next to Magus slid open as his groggy mind tried to process it. Schala gazed steadily at him, she was close enough that he could see the flecks of crystal blue in her verdant eyes. Her expression was serious as she looked him over and he belatedly realized that she was actually seeing him for once, not just looking at him. His face was completely exposed before her. He'd had nightmares about this moment, of seeing the fear and ridicule in Schala's eyes but she only went on studying him the way one studies an interesting painting. The black lashes gradually lowered, then rose again as she looked at his chest, his shoulders, then back at his face. A light breeze teased the two siblings' long hair and still she looked at him silently. He felt fingers of ice squeezing his heart, his first reaction was to hide under the towel but it was too late and seemed pathetic. She sees, she knows! He only thanked the gods he didn't believe in that they were both wearing their swim clothes. Schala broke into a small smile that broadened slowly into radiance.  
  
"I've just started seeing him."  
  
  
  
  
  
Just as Magus predicted, their brief warm season ended. Zeal had one of the most senior physicians locked up on Mount Woe and after that the rest became alot more enthusiastic about her recovery.  
  
So it was that they were all standing in court a few days after, bored and exhausted as Magus' mind wandered and some court scientist droned on about load bearing or some such when Zeal suddenly gripped her throne anxiously.  
  
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" She bellowed and Magus turned to see none other than the red haired boy and the girl with thick glasses. It wasn't the Frog with them though, but a tall, statuesque blonde haired woman clad in furs. For their part they gaped stupidly at Zeal, as if they themselves weren't really sure how and then Magus stepped forward.  
  
"Your Majesty...they are the evildoers I warned you of." There were several gasps in the court and even Dalton looked shocked. He had been sure Magus was a fraud.  
  
"How DARE you think you could oppose me you...you foreigners!" Zeal's voice quivered somewhere between fear and extreme rage. "You're worse than the Gurus! Fools! Dalton take them away!"  
  
"By your leave ma'am. Go Golem!" With a gesture and a muttered incantation Dalton teleported the court into a nearby room and simultaenously summoned the Golem. It was a scaly beast several times bigger than a man with tiny legs and long protruding arms set in a body that resembled nothing so much as a yellow conch shell. It opened it's eyes and huge, slavering mouth at the three intruders as they drew their weapons.  
  
The court watched the battle behind the safety of a two way mirror with increasing concern. At first the Golem ravaged the three but gradually they began to turn the tide of the battle as they had once before when Magus had thought victory was assured. The boy and girl now used far more advanced magic than when they had fought him in the Middle Ages, that kind of progress usually took years. Most disturbing of all was the blonde newcomer, who was beating on the Golem with her bare hands! As he watched, another spiderweb of cracks formed in the monster's shell where her fist landed until finally it roared in pain and collapsed. They had just destroyed some of the most advanced Zealian biomagical engineering, a living weapon of last resort. Magus could have done so himself, but he was still impressed nonetheless. The death of the Golem ended the spell and like that Magus was transported back into the throne room with the rest of the court. The three of them were scratched up and breathing hard but still looked ready to fight. Queen Zeal turned from the dead heap on the throne room floor to cooly look at Dalton, who was flushing crimson.  
  
"Is this the extent of your 'security'?" She asked. Dalton scowled and gestured and instantly a magical light sprang from the floor and enveloped the three interlopers, trapping them in a tight pyramid of raw energy. They struggled in what little room there was in there but there was no breaking the field and Zeal laughed loudly.  
  
"Fear not! You won't die...immediately that is. By the time we're through with you you'll be begging us to end your suffering!" Zeal's smug smile widened as she met the blond woman's defiant glare.  
  
"What a delicious diversion!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Hours went by and Magus had still heard nothing. He was dying to know where the three travellers had come from and just how they had followed him millenia into the past and if they had told the Queen anything about him. In the evening the suspense became too much for him and unable to think of anything better he decided to try the direct approach as he stood outside the Queen's chambers.  
  
"So Dalton isn't supervising the interrogation?" The guards exchanged an odd, uncomfortable look.  
  
"He was at first but the Queen insisted on interrogating the prisoners herself." Magus paused, wondering on that.  
  
"I need to see them immediately." The guards exchanged another uneasy look. They were two of Dalton's but they looked like rookies.  
  
"I told the Queen these three were coming to make trouble, I've seen their futures and it's vital that I speak to her."  
  
"She said, Sir, she said that she's not to be disturbed." Magus leaned in very close to the young man and kept his voice level. It was the tone he used with his Mystic subordinates.  
  
"You know what happened to the last lot that gave me trouble right?"  
  
After a few subtle threats, Magus managed to gain entrance to the Queen's chambers. It was an odd and unnerving choice for her to be interrogating those three here. He was dying to know their purpose and how they seemingly traversed time, and the thought of that knowledge in Zeal's hands filled him with dread. There was also the off chance if they told Zeal about a certain blue haired Magus she would put two and two together and that would be very, very bad.  
  
He passed by each door of the suite but could hear nothing until he finally reached the bedroom. He frowned deeply as he cupped his ear and heard a faint laugh and muffled talk. There was silence for several minutes and he strained his hearing until he heard what sounded like a contented cooing, and then a moan. It could be torture, but it actually sounded more like...he quietly tried the door knob and immediately the sounds stopped.  
  
"Who's there?" It was his mother sounding angry and strangley fearful. Magus knocked lightly.  
  
"It's the Prophet your Majesty. I thought you may want some help with the prisoners."  
  
"I should send that rabble to Mount Woe, shouldn't I my pet?" Zeal said softly, and Magus realized she wasn't talking to him. Then more loudly: "Come in then." He entered the bedroom cautiously, unsure if the three would be bloodied and beaten or supping casually as Zeal tried to charm answers out of them, but he was totally unprepared for what he saw. His mother lay in the bed against a mass of pillows, and entwined with her was the primitive blonde woman, both completely naked. The blonde's eyes slid to Magus; she was suckling Zeal's nipple in her mouth. One of Zeal's hands was between the woman's legs and the other was between her own, caressing in slow rhythm. Both of them were flushed, like they had been petting for some time. A sensuous smile played across Zeal's lips at Magus' look and she continued to finger herself as the blonde licked Zeal's nipple up and down without ever leaving his eyes. It was as if they were putting on a performance for him, totally unashamed, and he felt his cock stiffen. With her clothes off he could see that his mother's playmate was the stacked blonde to compare all others against.  
  
With extreme difficulty he wrenched his eyes away from the two buxom forms to see he wasn't their only audience. The red haired boy and the girl with glasses were chained upright against the far wall where they could have full view of the action. The girl's clunky helmet was missing and he could see her plum colored bob cut and the beginning swells of her breasts beneath her open shirt. Her shorts were also unbuttoned and she was wearing plain white panties, the boy was similarly undone with his chest exposed. The girl saw Magus look and glared at him. Her face was red and embarassed but still defiant, they both looked ready to make a move if he got within reach.  
  
"Prophet, I'd like to introduce my new toy, Ayla." Zeal ran her hand down Ayla's firm, toned stomach to her sinewy thighs, to Magus they looked strong enough to crush a coconut. He had never imagined his mother was so perverse. Coming onto him had been one thing but it was almost quaint compared to this.  
  
"Your Majesty, did something happen?"  
  
"Not as much as I'd like just yet. I'm not normally into women, but you must admit she's a glorious creature."  
  
"Did they tell you anything about who they are or why they came here?" He blurted. Their bodies were incredible and very distracting..  
  
"That's Chrono and his little friend Lucca. They tried to feed me some absurd nonsense about time travel, but we'll soon get to the real truth of the matter. Ayla didn't seem to know anything useful but she was ever so responsive to my interrogation. So I thought if she can enjoy herself why can't I?" Zeal's voice purred as she ran a hand through Ayla's long golden locks and the woman gave Magus a jealously posessive look, like a dog guarding it's bone before she began to lick down Zeal's stomach and her face disappeared between her thighs. Magus heard a soft wet lapping as Zeal bit her lower lip, the girl in the glasses was looking away with a pained expression but the boy seemed hypnotized by the display on the bed. Magus didn't blame him, he felt completely lost and had no idea what to say and his stone like erection wasn't helping.  
  
"Well, uh, I was hoping your Majesty maybe I could get more out of them. Maybe if I asked the right questions?"  
  
"I didn't send for you Prophet but I really could use some help. I think only you would appreciate what I have in mind. It doesn't seem fair to keep teasing those two, and I'd really love to see you fuck Ayla. There's only so much I can do and she's been so very good." Zeal lightly slapped Ayla's sculpted ass and squeezed a cheek as the blonde moaned and the lapping increased.  
  
"My Queen, this just isn't my way. I think maybe I should-"  
  
"Fuck us both until your balls are dry?" Magus flushed and said nothing. "What do you think my dear? Would you like to see his beautiful cock?"  
  
"Ayla want. Men silly. Don't know Ayla want sex until tell them!" Ayla's voice was husky and her sapphire eyes sized him up with a kind of animal intelligence. Her look was pure steam and Magus felt an overpowering lust rise within him. If it wasn't for the woman's magicless aura he'd have sworn she had used one of Flea's charms.  
  
"Your Majesty, what did this woman say to you?"  
  
"Don't be afraid Prophet, I've given her a dose of my spell. Move yourself here darling, Prophet come closer and look at these." Zeal positioned herself above Ayla and with two fingers she spread their slits before him. Ayla's pussy was a lighter pink than his mother's, the blond thatch of curly blonde pubic hair a contrast to her trimmed blue strip. They were both wet. Zeal's breasts hung just above Ayla's mounds, his mother had huge tits but the blonde's breasts appeared to be his mother's match, just a little higher and firmer. In that position he could lick Zeal and slide into Ayla's warm wetness, he wondered what she tasted like, what it felt like...he couldn't deny that he wanted to fuck them both. Magus stepped forward, beginning to undo his breeches and stopped, remembering Chrono and Lucca. He couldn't let them see his face and he wasn't sure he could perform for a crowd anyway.  
  
"I'm sorry but I'm not comfortable in front of those two. Maybe we could move elsewhere and then I'll take care of you both?"  
  
"No! Want Chrono and Lucca join! No be shy!" Ayla said petulantly, and kissed Zeal so passionately her eyes widened as they fell together into bed. Zeal returned her kiss with closed eyes and the smacking of their lips went on for ages as Magus shifted uncomfortably until the kiss broke.  
  
Magus looked at Ayla's bindings, they were magical and would probably hold but her freakish strength couldn't be underestimated. His mother was crazy as well as horny, it was risky enough to have the primitive woman loose but to have all three...and they would recognize him. Not to mention an orgy with four of his enemies was completely out of his depth.  
  
"They're very dangerous Majesty, you saw what they did to the Golem."  
  
"Nonsense, they're all bound, and Ayla's harmless now. Aren't you my dear?" A sly look passed between the two women and suddenly they were crawling towards him with hungry eyes and undoing Magus breeches. He tensed as Zeal pulled out his cock and began slowly stroking the length, and Ayla gripped him at the base. The two women were on their knees examining his cock enthusiastically.  
  
"I told you it's nice didn't I?"  
  
"How it taste?" Ayla asked and looked up at Magus with a lusty grin, then began licking him like a sweet. He closed his eyes involuntarily as she began to first suck the tip of his cock and then deep throat it. The two captives against the wall gasped and Zeal laughed. Magus was no prude but he still flushed so deep in embarassment to think of them watching him, so it was no surprise that he felt his body actually seize up in shock when his mother began to suck his balls. He groaned out loud, feeling his strength drain from his body as they alternated, first Zeal's hot and wet tongue against the underside of his shaft, followed by the ring of Ayla's lips as she swallowed him. They attacked both sides of his rod simultaneously, and his mind went blank as he guided their heads closers. Zeal and Ayla then used their ample bosoms to kneed his cock between them, the feeling of two pairs of perfect tits and their talented tongues bringing him to climax. He came in a thin jet across Ayla's tan orbs and she looked like a cat who had just got the milk. It was over so soon, and Magus was still rock hard. Zeal hadn't even used the spell but there was simply no way anyone could hold out against this.  
  
"Did you two like that? This is what's waiting for you if you cooperate." Zeal walked naked over to her other two prisoners. Chrono seemed to be making a heroic effort to keep his gaze eye level as Zeal slid a hand against his cheek and with the other traced a line down his chiseled abs as he turned his face away.  
  
"Do your see your friend Ayla over there? That could be you and I. You shouldn't resist me boy, you're only going to miss out on pleasure beyond belief." Her hand stole down into Chrono's pants and Magus heard the sharp intake of breath. "Yes, there you are..." With a hawking sound, Lucca spat at Zeal, she aimed for the older woman's eyes but gravity ensured it only hit her breastbone. Zeal wiped the spittle off her neck and Magus was sure she would strike the girl, but instead she simply chuckled as Lucca strained against her bounds.  
  
"Leave Chrono alone you top-heavy bitch! What do you want from us?"  
  
"I want what's in his pants, and maybe yours too kitten." Zeal's hand continued to move back and forth under the boy's clothes as she leaned forward with a wolf's grin and kissed Lucca on the lips. Lucca shook her head furiously, breaking the kiss and coughed for air and Zeal smiled knowingly, leaning in close.  
  
"If he wants me to stop all he has to do is say so, but we both know he loves it. I'm a very good teacher. Why look at this!" Chrono's rod was now free and erect in the air and Zeal slid her hand back and forth as she held it towards Lucca in offering. Lucca stared at it, her every expression was magnified by her thick glasses, Her eyes swam, shocked and embarassed, and then she closed them tightly. Zeal quickened her strokes and the boy moaned.  
  
"Don't enjoy it, tell her to stop Chrono!" Lucca cried, surreptitiously eyeing the lengthening member and Zeal chortled loudly.  
  
"So you hadn't even seen it yet, how delightful! How about this then?" Zeal began to stroke the boy's hard cock faster as he looked helplessly at Lucca, his face a rictus of shame and ectasy. Lucca's face was crimson and she shifted against her bonds, her legs squeezing together tightly as Ayla looked from Magus to Chrono with flushed cheeks as tears welled within Lucca's eyes.  
  
"Can't you just stop? I can't stand this!"  
  
"You just hate that it's me handling his cock and not you. I'm willing to share. Why do you deny yourself, why don't you just admit you want to him too?" Keeping a hand on Chrono she leaned in and put a hand down the girl's shorts and Lucca shuddered in revulsion but she was held fast to the wall. "I'm going to do you both the greatest favor of your misbegotten little lives." Zeal crooned and Magus saw the telltale orange flash of her spell and then the two teens were writhing against the wall in frustration. The gorgeous blond continued to consume his cock and it was difficult to stay focused between her large breasts and Zeal molesting her other captives. Chrono and Lucca were desperately trying to kiss and Zeal stepped between them and gave the boy a kiss so deep he actually buckled. Lucca leaned in and seemed to kiss her shoulder and suddenly Zeal winced and yelped loudly. There was a small rivulet of blood from the bite mark and this time Zeal did strike the girl, hard enough to leave a hand imprint on her cheek.  
  
"How pathetic. I think that was actually deliberate, it's amazing she resisted." Zeal said, inspecting the wound. "I see what you meant before Prophet but I can't simply throw my toys away without playing with them first. Will you assist me? I want you to show them the same eagerness you've shown me, what do you say?" Magus licked his lips and looked at his mother's naked form, the blonde goddess on her knees who was rubbing her hands against his thighs and the two teens on the wall twisting and writhing.  
  
"Your Majesty, we need to be logical." With that, Zeal walked behind Magus and began to rub his shoulders, now there were four hands on him.  
  
"My sweet Prophet, two cocks are better than one. I can't wait." She breathed seductively. "Three hot pussies for you. It's simple math." It was impossible. He kept finding himself in these situations, he may as well enjoy them.  
  
"Blindfolds."  
  
  
  
  
  
Zeal gave the three a more powerful dose of her spell, but Magus needed little coaxing after having lost so many reserverations. He had been tottering on a cliff of obscenity ever since that first night with his mother and felt he had finally been pushed over. A kind of madness born of lust overtook him and for what seemed like hours he lost himself in his most perverse fantasies. All he could remember afterward were vignettes. His mother's mass of sea blue hair, her thick hips and the creamy ovals of her tits, the soft jingle of her earrings as he thrust inside her. He had never thought of her sexually when they had fought, but underneath the baggy clothes, Lucca had a lithe, waif-like body with breasts small and sweet like peaches and a supple little ass. She clinched him so tightly it was an effort to thrust. Ayla was the real prize, Magus had never seen a body her equal, she must have been a famous beauty from whatever age she hailed from. A long, blonde, feathered mane of hair and tanned skin, she had ropy, defined cords of muscle along her legs and arms and the flat and chiseled abdomen of someone who ran or swam nonstop. Her musculature would have been impressive on a man but took nothing away from the ample mountains of her voluptuous chest. They were fantastic tits, easily as big as his mother's, but firmer. At one point or another they all kissed and sucked and bit his body and he was happy to return the favor, discovering their pussies all had their own individual tastes and tautness.  
  
They were blind, and thus helpless, only able to guess who was pleasuring them. Only Zeal and Magus could see, together they molested them with little resistance. Chrono and Ayla found eachother first and he lay on top of her pumping savagely as she responded in kind, crying out his name and making the entire bed shake. Magus made a note to stay out of his reach as he licked Lucca's labia up and down. Zeal was only too happy to help, licking down the girl's buttocks and biting into the small cheek. She gasped, trying weakly to push the two of them away. Together they devoured her. On the other side of the bed, the red haired boy was spent and had fired across Ayla's stomach.  
  
Magus continued to lick Lucca's folds until she began panting rapidly, he found her short breathless cries cute as well as erotic. Zeal had now switched her attention to the buxom cave woman, she smirked and spread Ayla wide before his eyes as she tongued the blonde's ample breasts. It was too tempting to pass up so Magus left his squirming companion to slide his stiff member into Ayla effortlessly, eliciting a surprised cry from the woman which quickly became a moan. Her tits jiggled as he slapped against her well formed body.  
  
“Big!” she cried as he drilled deep into her, enjoying the different shape and sensation of her velvet insides. “Bigger than Kino!” She seemed to have no problem at all with anything they did to her, and didn't get flustered like Lucca so he began to batter her relentlessly, her voice rising in pitch with each thrust while Zeal mercilessly teased her nipples and squeezed the tawny breasts. She gave Ayla her tits and the blond kneeded and licked them with practiced skill.  
  
"Now how do you want me to fuck you?" He asked, as he probed her smooth channel.  
  
"Deep. Please, give Ayla deep!" Magus quickened his pace and managed to give her an extra inch.  
  
“Lick us your Majesty.” Magus commanded, and Zeal bent down to taste the woman's clit and the top of his driving member. The feel of Ayla's pussy along with his mother's tongue was almost more than he could bear, and he pulled out, erupting across the firm stomach and Zeal's bountiful chest. On the other side of the bed, the purple haired girl had blindly found her way into the spiky red haired youth's grasp. She seemed to know who she was with as he pumped her enthusiastically from the side.  
  
“Oh Chrono, I waited so long, don't stop!” she cried and began to buck her hips. Hearing the voice, Ayla disengaged from Magus and managed to scurry over to where they were despite her bindings.  
  
“Lucca, share with Ayla! Ayla want fuck Chrono again too!” They adjusted their position and now the young purple haired beauty was riding on top of the boy. Ayla grasped the younger girl's pert breasts and kissed her, pushing her down on his rod with each thrust.  
  
“Don't wear yourself out just yet.” Zeal said and spread herself above the blindfolded boy's nose. Chrono took a hesitant experimental lick and then began to eat her cherry eagerly. Zeal leaned forward and kissed Ayla deeply, running one hand through her golden hair while balancing with the other before biting Lucca's neck. Ayla seemed to get the idea and also nibbled the young inventor, the two women suckled and squeezed the girl from each side as Chrono drilled into her and her cries went up an octave. Magus was infuriated that they had all seemingly thrown him over for that peasant, and decided this was a good time to avenge himself for the debacle back at his castle. He grasped Lucca's tiny buttocks and squeezed, and she cried out, distressed at the new pair of foreign hands. He then deliberately rubbed his throbbing manhood between her cheeks.  
  
"No, don't!" She cried before her breath caught as he slowly inserted himself into her. Lucca was very, very tight against him; he normally didn't care for anal but it seemed to be letting her off easy for the outrage of their last battle.  
  
"That's it, punish that willful bitch!" Zeal laughed. The boy seemed to know what was happening and tried to say something but Zeal simply ground her vulva down into his mouth, silencing him.  
  
  
“Shut up and lick me you foreigner!” She snapped as she pressed her tits together and wiggled her hips. Chrono didn't even slow down as they completely posessed the girl from both ends. Zeal's magic and the Ayla's quim had done their job well, and soon Lucca was being hammered on each side like a piston. For awhile, all five of them moved as one, an interconnected orgy of flesh. Magus came into the girl then and her cry of pleasure cracked in mid-register as her body twitched convusively. Chrono cried out too, muted as he was by Zeal's pussy. Lucca collapsed, spent and dripping, and his mother grinned at Magus approvingly.  
  
“Good job, I hope you've saved some for me.” The Queen greedily lowered herself onto the boy's waiting rod before Ayla could do anything.  
  
“My turn, my turn to fuck Chono!” She struck out at Zeal blindly, quickly Magus grabbed her by her bounds and pushed her back against the bed. She began to roll over, and in a moment he was on top of her. He had just fired but he was already ready for another round.  
  
“Sorry, you'll just have to make do with me!” He whispered as he mounted her from behind. Ayla's protests stopped completely as he penetrated her, she began moving on her own and he reached down to part her legs and go still deeper. She was magnificent, he could feel the power in her body, like riding an unbroken horse and she rutted and yelped like an animal as he fucked her. Magus touseled the bouncing blonde mane and squeezed the fleshy breasts together as Zeal leered at them approvingly. She was pounding the boy into the bed and he could tell he must have already came inside her but she wasn't letting up.  
  
"I think he wants a break now, after only two shots! I'm disappointed! How I wish I could fuck her, how does she feel Prophet?"  
  
"Amazing!" Magus breathed, and meant it, pumping Ayla a few times for the Queen's benefit before pulling out and shooting across her back. She sighed and lay flat against the bed as he covered her with his hot seed. He didn't feel anywhere near satisfied, and his cock was still rigid, maybe perversion ran in his family. Zeal contemplated his erection with interest until her attention turned to the other side of the bed. Lucca appeared to be slowly crawling away and Magus reached out and grabbed her ankle before she could make her way off the bed. He pulled her to him and held her fast with a kiss. She was struggling, but weakly, and her tongue couldn't evade his.  
  
"A pity that you're still opposing me. Prophet, please teach this brat some manners."  
  
  
  
  
  
After a long interlude of teasing and caressesing, Lucca sat in his lap as he strummed her nipples and clitoris. She sank down his hard length slowly, almost reluctantly, lingering before finally rising again. Each stroke was gradual and drawn-out and it took lots of coaxing from him for her to move on her own. He had been been playing this game with her for a half hour and she was finally becoming responsive. Ayla had been compliant from the start and Chrono had no hope against his mother but Lucca had continued to resist them.  
  
"So now you like this?" He whispered into her ear.  
  
"No..." His finger flicked Lucca's pearl in time with his thrust and she moaned.  
  
"You're a liar, but your body is honest. You're so wet now you've coated my entire cock." Magus took his finger from her and traced a line with her dew along the petite breasts, teasing her supple body, as his mouth mocked and consoled her.  
  
"I can't help it. No, not there!" She cried, as he slowly withdrew to the tip before plunging himself into her. He stopped moving, letting her clench his shaft tightly, and continued his patient work on her body.  
  
"Your friends are all enjoying themselves, just listen." He slowed his strokes and softly turned Lucca's head towards others. On the other side of the bed Ayla and Zeal were busy using Chrono like a bench and even blind he was sure Lucca could visualize from the wet slapping sounds and moans of the two women. She seemed to flag and finally succumb and before he knew it she was hoisting herself up and pushing down on his pole unbidden and returning his kiss so hard he couldn't breathe. Her pace increased and she was so undone Magus felt himself almost ready to climax. He withdrew and Lucca moaned in frustration.  
  
"I want you to, to put it all the way in again."  
  
"I will," he whispered, nibbling her ear as he watched Ayla and his mother take the boy again, "But you have to do something for me." Zeal and Ayla were kissing ardently, their heavy tits pressed together as the erect nipples brushed together in circles. He probably wouldn't get this oppurtunity again he mused. Magus had already fucked Lucca twice, and Ayla three times, but he didn't feel himself flagging at all. He had mostly ignored his mother so far, somehow, he had to have all three at once.  
  
"I'll fuck you as much as you want, if you..." He whispered quietly into her ear and the girl went still for a moment before nodding.  
  
"That's all?"  
  
"Yes, just that, but make it good." Magus kissed her to show his approval and then jounced her rapidly. Zeal was practically doing a split as she pumped Chrono and took notice of them.  
  
"What are you two conspiring about over there?" She asked as she slammed herself down into his lap.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. You're next." Magus said and gave the queen a nice view of his cock as he plunged into the girl.  
  
"I'm not so sure you'll be able to satisfy me again after all this Prophet." Zeal said cooly, as she rode Chrono and massaged his balls with her hand, giving Magus an eyeful. Magus grinned, it was time his mother learned he wasn't a novice.  
  
Moments later Magus was drilling Zeal as Ayla played with the Queen's heaving breasts. Suddenly, Lucca grabbed Zeal's wrist and began to suck and bite her rosy nipple. The older woman gasped and began to squirm but Magus held firmly onto her legs.  
  
"What are you doing? Damn you, let me go!"  
  
"Not just yet. Ayla, why don't you taste the Queen's clit? It needs a good sucking." Ayla sat on Zeal's other wrist and leaned across to lick the soft nub as Magus continued to drive into Zeal. Letting go of one leg he pinched her clitoris expertly between his thumb and forefinger as Ayla tongued it. Zeal's sigh turned into a throaty moan as Lucca worked her breasts and they continued to stimulate her pussy. As Zeal's thrashing grew more frenzied, she was wracked with pleasure and now she looked at Magus with eyes that seemed to both beg for him to stop and urge him farther.  
  
"No, I can't! I've never-"  
  
"Guess you can dish it out but you can't take it!" Lucca's voice now had an impish, perverted edge, they had all gone off the same moral cliff Magus had now, it seemed the spell was doing it's job. "Would you please shut her up with your hard cock Chrono?" Zeal's eyes went wide as the boy fed her his shaft and her protests were muffled . Her expression was so exquisitely sexy that Magus gushed into the queen then, shivering with the pleasure of release. Zeal trembled all over, but Magus didn't flag and continued to pump her. He gleefully spit roasted his mother as she sucked Chrono's length and held the other girls' heads to her tits as they licked.  
  
"Blue haired one so tasty!" Ayla said as her tongue traced a ring across the big nipple. Meanwhile Lucca nibbled on the flesh, biting just hard enough not to leave a mark.  
  
"So the Queen's just a slut after all! You wanted us, now you've got us! Go ahead and fuck her hard guys!" Magus didn't need to hear twice. As her son pounded her Zeal's body shuddered in the wake of multiple orgasms and the muted cries of ectasy grew desperate. Together he and the three prisoners plundered Zeal's ripe body as they explored every inch of her with their hands and tongues. Magus didn't mind sharing, she was just another toy at this point. He filled her pussy again as he and Chrono stuffed her from both ends, and then again when they covered her in their seed. She had taken at least as many shots from Chrono and worked him over pretty well.  
  
Seeing his mother debased, with the sticky white substance across her chest, on her mouth, in her hair...he wanted to ravish her again, he wanted them all again. His quest for revenge, to change history itself, was pushed from his mind. How far had he fallen? The drop was high but the bottom was unimaginable bliss...  
  
  
  
  
  
_Authors notes: Sorry this took so long to get out, work and home situation have been like a Kafka novel. Writing an orgy is really involved, it's like trying to choreograph Thriller. Oh, and yes, Ayla definitely used "Charm". Kept the word count under control though, so I'm proud of that. We should be wrapping up in two more chapters, they may take me awhile to finish unless situation improves, but I think they'll run a little shorter, I know where I want to go but things keep getting shifted around.  
  
  
  
Next chapter: Zeal continues to go off the deep end of depravity and takes Magus along for the ride. Schala gets drawn in and has an R-rated encounter with Magus._


	5. Proposition

Chapter 5- Proposition  
  
  
_Catherine: I want you.  
Jake: But, you're my sister.  
Catherine: Only by blood.  
Jake: What is wrong with this family?!_  
  
  
"Do you like how it feels my lovely? I'm all the way in now, I can see your beautiful ass from here."  
  
  
"Yes, Ayla love! It so different, so, so good!"  
  
  
Well here's a picture for all her loyal subjects Magus thought. The powerfully built blonde was riding Zeal as the queen held onto her waist and jammed the golden colored phallus into Ayla. It was a strapon, 7 inches long , and thick as a sword hilt. Zeal had worked some kind of enchantment on it to increase the pleasure it produced and the leggy amazon took it in easily, driving herself down desperately on the slickening spire. Magus watched with his arms folded, a mixture of wariness, disgust, and desire. Lucca and Chrono were still locked up. After the initial orgy Zeal's spell had worn off quickly and they were just too dangerous. The sex had been incredible but it had been too much hassle to make sure all three of them didn't try anything. Still he regretted not being able to have Lucca again. If he had more time to wear down that prudish veneer he was sure there was a hellcat lurking beneath...but he was also relieved. Some part of him had felt a dim shame for helping Zeal violate her, even though as enemies she really deserved no consideration. As for Chrono, Magus felt no sympathy. His mother had fucked the lucky bastard until he was cross eyed.  
  
  
Ayla was a different story. She had a primal magnetism, fascinating Zeal in a way even Magus couldn't fully appreciate. She had no hangups whatsoever that he could see with sex and she also liked men and women equally and freely enjoyed what Zeal had to give. Zeal grinned mischievously as she pumped Ayla, she loved to dominate the woman and at the same time make Magus watch. With a contented sigh Ayla dismounted and the two women kissed and fondled one another's bodies. Once Zeal had her fill she lay on her elbows.  
  
"Now do me." She breathed and her mounds began to quake with each thrust as Ayla drove into her with the toy.  
  
"Oh yes, yes-yesss! You're hitting me so deep! Can you feel how wet I am for you?"  
  
"No! Ayla like you cry but Ayla no feel anything!"  
  
  
"We can't have that! Enjoying yourself over there?" She called to Magus. "Poor boy, I've made you wait long enough, why don't you use some of that pent up energy on Ayla?" Wordlessly Magus stripped and strode to the two women. With bodies like these in front of you, you didn't waste time talking. The designer had thoughtfully left an opening at the bottom of the strap-on and Magus gripped Ayla's hips and plunged himself deep inside of her.  
  
  
"Ahhh! Now Ayla feel! So hard! Please give more, give fast!" Magus thrust and felt Ayla's pussy squeeze around his shaft in response. Each time his thighs pushed against Ayla she thrust into Zeal, who cried out loudly and closed her eyes as the bedspread bunched up in her fists. Her breasts shook in steady rhythym as she was fucked from behind, each thrust from Magus channeled through Ayla's golden member. Rubbing Ayla's nipples between his fingers as he kissed her he tried to deliver more force to Zeal through the other woman by pumping the athletic blonde even harder . Her tongue slipped into his mouth, exploring, and the two women quivered underneath him with each motion. This was the third time they'd "interrogated" Ayla and they'd both gotten something out of her.  
  
  
  
  
  
Magus exhaled slowly in the shower steam, allowing himself to relax as much as was possible. Normally he was wound tight enough to snap at any moment but he needed this. The last week had been a maelstrom of stress and confusion. It had been an extremely unlikely event that anyone would follow him, but like so many things that happened since he'd been thrown back here, it paid to expect the unexpected. The strangers would have to be dealt with soon, but there was an upside. Ayla and Zeal kissing, their tongues entangling. Zeal's tongue caressing the underside of Ayla's as the amazon slid her tongue over, and between the kiss of their hot mouths was the tip of Magus cock. When they finished him off simultaneously he shot across both their massive pairs. Anyway, it was an upside.  
  
  
He closed his eyes, letting the hot water spray him from three sides. It was a grand shower, the grandest in the world actually. In the next room Ayla was snoring loudly. They had already put her under with a sleep spell so deep she would be out for most of a day and taken the opportunity to bathe her. It was easy enough to blame the need for it on "torture", so there were no awkward questions. It was a pity she couldn't join them but Magus didn't trust her. He let his hands do what felt natural as he stood behind Zeal, soaping her heavy chest and kneeding the wet flesh between his long fingers. She leaned back against him with half lidded eyes, without the crown of her teased up hair she was shorter than him. Twisting her head, she accepted his nibbling kisses. She had taken fine care of herself, and he let himself admire her body, which was full and ripe and mostly toned in all the right places. As fuckable as she was he had begun to forgive himself for wanting her. He caressed the wet skin and she kissed him slowly and thoroughly as he in turn sucked on her tongue, teasing.  
  
  
"Mmm...did you like that Prophet? The two of us together?"  
  
  
"You know I did your Majesty." Magus replied, squeezing the large breasts together in his hands and enjoying their weight. There was no point in lying to her, or himself.  
  
  
"Well I'd say you've secured your position, wouldn't you?" His hands snaked across his mother's slick body, running over every inch. It was true, Dalton's star had definitely fallen. Magus was now unquestionably the most powerful official in the kingdom after the Queen. He had predicted the strange and dangerous trespassers while Dalton's network hadn't heard a thing. Gaining access to the Mammon Machine, breaking the seal to the throne room, destroying the Golem...it was a true miracle Dalton still had a head to worry. He was luckier than some of his hapless scapegoat guards.  
  
  
"You're so quiet back there Prophet." She whispered, dragging her back down his chest as both his mind and his hands wandered over her big tits. He didn't even mind laying her anymore, he enjoyed it, what else could he do but admit it? She could be gentle sometimes, like now, but she didn't want a deeper relationship and he also found it easier to keep his mind off who she was if he only focused on the sex. After the week's depravities, pleasuring his mother was nothing.  
  
  
"I was just wondering what your next move was."  
  
"Don't you know?" Zeal asked, and lay her head back over his shoulder, smiling up at him. He shook his head.  
  
  
"You've been loyal and I've been neglecting you so. Perhaps I could tie you to the bed and Ayla and I could ravish you?"  
  
  
"It sounds like a dream." He said honestly, but it also sounded suicidally stupid. Tied down with Ayla on the loose, Ayla who in her spare moments found time to punch holes in Golems. I managed to think for once this week without my dick Magus marveled. Amazing. "What I really meant was what's your next move with the Ocean Palace?"  
  
  
"Oh, that. I've had the Mammon Machine moved to a secure location. It will be back online tomorrow. If you're that interested I'll show you when it's up."  
  
  
"I'd like that." Magus continued to massage his mother's body, but he was distracted. It wasn't like her to give up basking in her precious machine's presence for so long. The arrival of the strangers had thrown the future into uncertainity.  
  
  
  
  
Magus emerged an hour later, cloaked and able to safely present the world the facade of a man who wasn't a sex crazed degenerate. He walked the halls, letting his mind try to filter itself clean. He thought of Dalton's face when Zeal had ordered him to personally clean the royal stables as punishment for the break-in and smiled. Then he thought of Schala and the hot springs and his smile faltered, disturbed. Magus paused, sensing, and ducked into a nearby door. It was the palace library and Schala was sitting alone at a table studying a book. She looked up briefly and gave him a small, tight smile.  
  
  
He remembered the hot springs. She had seen him without his hood, her gentle eyes roaming his face. Her look hadn't been one of shame or terror, it had been like she was truly seeing him. Not the Prophet, not even Magus, but Janus. He had been so flustered and was deathly afraid she was going to reach out and touch his face so he made a lame excuse about needing to go back to the palace and Schala had not argued. She had been quiet on the way back, but with a content, strange little grin.  
  
  
"I'm sorry we didn't get more time, I honestly forgot that appointment with the Queen."  
  
  
"Even though she's so sick she can't keep her eyes open." Schala chuckled.  
  
  
"You know your mother."  
  
  
"It's ok. Just let me ask you something. Am I crazy?" Magus shook his head. She had never been so difficult to talk with when he was a child. Janus would just say whatever was on his mind, as Magus doing so led to situations like this.  
  
  
"As a loon."  
  
  
"Ha. I know we still don't know eachother that well but I feel these things from you and I just don't know. I always trust my feelings, they're usually right." No matter what Magus tried, no matter what excuses he made, she seemed to find her way near him on their off hours and he had wondered why. She had always been incredibly empathetic, she could always know what people were thinking, and she had a nose for lies superior to Dalton's secret police. No matter how he hid, the more time he spent with Schala the more his weak feelings seemed to take over his reason. It was fine when Janus was with them but when it was just he and Schala she became way too personal and he had a habit of saying idiotically honest things. Just like then.  
  
  
"You're not crazy," Magus sighed. "But so what? A few months ago we never said two words to one another and now..." Schala stopped and looked at him steadily.  
  
  
"It's true. When you first came here I hated your guts for what you did to the Gurus. Not to mention you were so stand-offish. You were easy to hate Prophet. I would have never said a word to you except for these feelings I get from you. Can I tell you something?"  
  
  
"Sure."  
  
  
"Sometimes the deepest friendships are the ones you form with just a few people, people who don't have many friends. They're like pearls in a clamshell, their friendship is not freely given because they fully appreciate it. It takes alot of work to pry open the shell but inside is something beautiful."  
  
  
"Ha, so I'm a clam then? Is that like a dead fish?" She shrugged.  
  
  
" I live and die by my intuition, always have. I can feel these feelings from you and that's why I started seeing you a bit more clearly. At first I thought it was a little creepy, but..." She shrugged again. "Not now.”  
  
  
"You're not filling me with confidence Schala."  
  
  
"We don't always get to choose how we feel either." Her cheeks were a little flushed but she seemed calm. "Don't worry about your other woman. I promise I won't stand in the way of true love." Magus was about to say something else he might regret but shut up. All his excuses sounded like bullshit but putting words to his feelings would be worse.  
  
  
"Why don't you find yourself some nice young noble? Someone handsome?"  
  
  
"I don't care at all about that, and you're handsome in your own way." Magus playfully held his cloak up against his face vampire style and she laughed. It broke the tension and the conversation had turned casual the rest of the way back.  
  
  
Magus came back to the moment as he sat down across from Schala without being invited. She glanced up from her book for only a second, then went back to reading. He sat, waiting for her to say something. A good two minutes passed before she cleared her throat loudly and turned the page. She was writing occasionally in a notebook beside her.  
  
  
"What are you reading?" Schala glanced at a nearby scholar who seemed overly interested in the two of them and showed him the cover. A history of the Zealian dynasty. The small pile of books were all related to military or royal history. "A school lesson?" She blew a strand of hair out of her eye and gave him an exasperated look.  
  
  
"Yeah. A school lesson." She said flatly. He had been prepared for all kinds of reactions but not this.  
  
  
"Seriously Schala, what the hell did I do?"  
  
  
"You know what you did." She glanced again at the scholar who was taking far longer looking for a book than anyone possibly could.  
  
  
"Why don't you find somewhere else to be? This is a private table." The lingering scholar scowled at Magus before remembering who he was preparing to mouth off to and moved on.  
  
  
"Just what I'd expect from one of my mother's cronies, bullying and threats."  
  
  
"Listen, if it's about the hot-"  
  
"Just shut up ok!" She hissed loudly and a few heads in the library turned. "I told you! I'm just trying to keep up on my education, just one normal thing! All you ever do is badger me about the Mammon Machine. More! More power! It's never enough with you!"  
  
  
"I've never! Did something happen?"  
  
  
"Here, see! I've been taking notes all day, look! Go on and report back to the Queen!" He bat the notes away and her face was angry frustration. Magus checked his temper, remembered this was his sister.  
  
  
"Schala, I'm sorry if you think I've been hard on you, let's just talk about it."  
  
  
"You don't believe me! Read the notes!" She said offering them, and he was about to swat them away again when he saw her eyes didn't match the voice.  
  
  
"Fine!" He spat, trying to match her tone and taking the paper. The notes were full of page references, but at the bottom of the page was a note.  
  
  
_"Prophet,  
  
I'm not mad at you, but mother has spies everywhere. I know nothing happened but she thinks something did. Yesterday she asked me all kinds of questions about you. So I'm doing_ _this to keep the both of us safe, please, please understand._  
  
  
_There's something more important I want to talk to you about but I can't possibly out in the open. On the other side of the palace are the old royal quarters. Nobody uses them anymore. Please meet me tonight around 11 PM. Don't tell anyone, I know I can trust you. Check the back of this note."_  
  
  
Magus did, and saw a childishly drawn map to the quarters. Standing up he crumpled the note in his hand and glared down at Schala.  
  
  
"You have important obligations, not time to fritter away on this rubbish. Get your priorities straight." He said coldly and she glared back with contempt. She snatched her pile, books, notes and all and stomped out of the library and this time all heads turned. Magus smiled within the confines of his hood and palmed the note. Schala was a better actress than he'd given her credit.  
  
  
  
  
Night came and Magus strode down the halls, bootheels clicking. It wasn't unusual for him to keep odd hours so he didn't bother sneaking. After correctly predicting the three rebels crashing into the court those servants who had doubted him and even a few of Dalton's cronies now gave him a wide berth. Word was getting around. Magus went on his usual nightly rounds, killing some minutes in the library before blithely making his way towards the south end of the palace. This side of the palace grew steadily older and darker as one went along. It was the original wing of the castle and they had built outward. After living with the Mystics so long Magus' night vision was second to none, and the south wing was practically empty anyways. No one could have followed him in such conditions, if they'd ever tried.  
  
  
At the far end he reached the thick doors to the old royal chambers. There were no protective wards and the doors weren't even locked. He stepped in and sniffed the air. Not dusty, but disused. Nobody except Schala had been here in better than a week. The magical sconses were capable of fully illuminating the room, but they were off. Instead there were wax candles on every spare surface throwing a soft orange glow across the room and Magus relaxed slightly. It looked like something Schala would have set up. Magus walked through the room examining the decor. It was much smaller than the Queen's current chambers, with less gold gilt. Her chambers were furnished to impress and intimidate, but this was a family room. He stopped to admire the large portrait on the wall.  
  
  
It must have been painted before he was born. In it Zeal, Schala, and the king stood in a warm, natural pose. Schala looked to be about five years old with a tomboy grin and her pigtail was short and lopsided. His mother looked radiant with a demure smile, she was remarkably beautiful when her face wasn't twisted in rage or lust. Aside from the hair and a few years, Schala's resemblance to her was striking. Schala's father had a trimmed beard and the long hair that spilled over his royal robe had more gray than blue in it but he looked proud and strong enough to lay Dalton out with one punch. Magus sighed, he had never known the man, or his real father. He had only found out he was the bastard offspring of a philanderer when he was older, when even the servants had taken to treating him like a burden.  
  
  
He walked the room. Here was a child's Janin set, clearly Schala's. A worn hope chest that would have driven his superficial mother insane with embarassment. A picture of Zeal in a small silver frame, dressed in twilight purple evening wear and a jeweled ball mask standing next to a man in white costume who was definitely not Schala's father. He had his arm around her waist and both had devilish grins underneath their domino masks. Before she went off the deep end Magus supposed. Here was another portrait, of an older Zeal, and Schala now about nine or ten holding an infant Janus. Nobody was smiling.  
  
  
"Hey! Are you there?" Magus heard Schala whisper nervously.  
  
  
"Yes, coming." He followed the sound back through the suite of small rooms until he came to a well lit enclosure. It was like a minature version of the outside veranda, a riot of green vines and creepers bloomed with a rainbow of flowers and fruits, mostly purples and pinks. There were candles burning but most of the light came from luminescent white flowers that grew among the rafters. Schala was sitting in a simple wicker chair and she gestured to an empty one.  
  
  
"I started to think you weren't coming."  
  
  
"I'm sorry, I got sidetracked. I don't remember this room at all."  
  
  
"Not sure why you would Prophet. Like I said, nobody comes here anymore. The maids clean it once a week and water the conservatory on the offchance mother ever wants to see any of her old stuff, but that never happens. So it just sits here. Well, her loss is our gain right. So, what do you think?"  
  
  
"It's beautiful, especially those flowers. I've never seen those."  
  
  
"They're luna blooms. Mother made them, back when. They glow brighter the fuller the moon, and if you ever see a red moon they look like little torch lights."  
  
  
"Romantic." Schala blushed and shyly rearranged her robe.  
  
  
"Yeah, I wanted to keep the light down just in case. That's not really why I asked you here though, believe it or not."  
  
  
"After the hot springs, I really don't believe it Schala." She blushed again. "Is your mother really asking questions about us?"  
  
  
"She was asking before but I just dismissed it. Ever since Janus' birthday she's wanted to know where we go, what we talk about. She even wanted to know if I'd seen your face before."  
  
"Did you tell her?"  
  
  
"I hadn't seen you when she asked, so I didn't have to lie. She was like: 'Well I've seen him. If he wants to play masquerade among the peasants that's his own affair but in my presence he will look me in the eye by Lavos!" Schala's immitation of Zeal was eerily spot on, from the tone to the pompous hand gestures. Hearing that voice come out of Schala was so ludicrous he couldn't help but chuckle. "Then she asked me if I 'liked' you. I said I could stand you better than Dalton but that's a low hurdle to jump."  
  
  
"Are you sure you're not just being paranoid? Maybe she's just protective of you."  
  
  
"Oh yes, she wouldn't want her precious output to slip. There was a guy before and-" Magus leaned in, interested, and Schala caught herself.  
  
  
"Go on."  
  
  
"I'll tell you some other time. I know how it sounds but I wouldn't be playing fair with you calling you here tonight with that note. Especially when you've got someone else. Anyone could get lucky here." She made a small embarassed sound and put her hand against her cheek and turned to look out the window at the moon. She was lovely, and any other man wouldn't stand a chance. "Anyway, forget about that right now. I wanted to ask you about those three strangers."  
  
  
"What about them?"  
  
  
"Well, are they alright? Where do you know them from? What do they want?" Magus inhaled. This wouldn't be enjoyable.  
  
  
"All this candlelight, I don't suppose you brought any wine? I could use a drink"  
  
  
"Oh. I'm sorry, I should have thought of that. See? My intentions were pure."  
  
  
"I'll live. In answer to your questions, they're unhurt. I've seen them in...the future. From what I can tell they don't have any more love for Lavos than you do. That's all I know." Schala seemed to chew over this for a minute and Magus breathed a little easier. Technically, he hadn't lied.  
  
  
"They seemed pretty strong didn't they?"  
  
  
"I suppose." He didn't like to give them too much credit, but fighting through his army of Mystics, beating him, even with the Masamune, and then the Golem...yes, they were powerful.  
  
  
"I've been thinking about what you said before. About fixing things from the inside, about you not really caring about immortality. We do what we have to do to get by right?"  
  
  
"Yes." He had no idea what one had to do with the other. She paused and seemed to struggle with what she wanted to say, in the moonlight he could see her conflicted expression.  
  
  
"I want you to help me overthrow my mother!" She blurted out. It was like the sound had been sucked out of the room, like after a thunderclap. She had to be joking, but no punchline came.  
  
  
"So what you're proposing Schala is what? A coup?"  
  
  
"For the good of the kingdom! For everyone! Do you think I want this? You know my mother has to be stopped."  
  
  
"What brought all this on?"  
  
  
"I've always felt this way. I never wanted things to go as far as they have. After we talked I started thinking, and then those three showed up. I can tell they have good hearts, and you saw what they did. They can help us!"  
  
  
"What do you want from me?"  
  
  
"You've got a good heart underneath too. You did what you did to the Gurus because you had to, I understand that. You had to sacrifice to put yourself in a position of power. Now's your chance to use it and make up for all that. Help those three escape, and then we'll rescue the Gurus. You've got strong magic. Together we could-"  
  
  
"The power I have is only what your mother has given me. Without her influence, Dalton and the rest would run me out of the kingdom. At best."  
  
  
"We could turn Dalton against her too. He hates my mother!"  
  
  
"Dalton hates everyone, and he'll continue to follow your mother as long as he thinks he's going to be immortal. Nothing else matters to him."  
  
  
"Fine, we don't need him. Just you, me, the strangers and the Gurus. We could do it!"  
  
  
"Schala, you haven't thought this through. Suppose, just suppose, that we safely deal with both Zeal and Dalton. What then?"  
  
  
"What do you mean 'what then'? It's over!"  
  
  
"I mean, do we execute them?" Schala gasped in horror.  
  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
  
"What about their supporters? There will be plenty of people who want her back on the throne, and the second you take away the promise of immortality there'll be riots and rebellion. You'd have to crush any and all opposition as ruthlessly as the Queen ever did, and for that you'd need the army behind you too. The army that follows Dalton incidentally." Schala shook her head in disbelief but Magus only smiled grimly. He had dealt with this sort of thing all his life as king of the Mystics. Overthrowing a crown was childs play, holding onto it was a different matter  
  
  
"It wouldn't be like that. People would see the truth."  
  
  
"I wouldn't be much of an advisor if I didn't know what the people of this kingdom really thought. I'm sorry, you'd never get a majority to support you."  
  
  
"Why can't you even try? Would you help me if...if I..." Her eyes were welling up as her hand slipped to the collar of her robe and she slid one end down, bearing a smooth, pearly shoulder in the moon's luster. He reached over and slapped the hand.  
  
  
"You must not think much of me Schala! If you have to offer something like that your plan has about as much chance of succeeding as-" He thought for a moment and anger crept in. "Is this why you've been spending time with me? Using me for your little plot because you think that's what I want from you?"  
  
  
"No!" She cried, shaking her head. Under the luna blooms, her hair looked like a moonlit river. "I don't know what you want! I wish I did! You're always trying to be near me and then you push me away. I just want there to be a tomorrow, for all of us. My mother will kill those children, she'll let Lavos destroy everything and still you want to help her! Help me instead! You know it's right!"  
  
  
Her voice had risen hysterically and Magus scrambled to grab her and hold his hand over her mouth. He thought he heard a soft shuffle from the hall. They both froze in terror, eyes wide. The only sound was the ticking of a clock on the wall. He could feel the soft rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed against him and after a minute he slowly removed his hand but didn't let her go. He had to know she wasn't going to get loud again.  
  
  
"It's a bad plan. Look. Maybe we can come up with a better one. Tomorrow I'm finding out where the Mammon Machine got moved to. We'll meet here again tomorrow night and talk it over. Just don't do anything crazy till then." Schala nodded, thin tear tracks across her cheeks before she slowly leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
  
"Tomorrow night Prophet. I'm sorry about before. I wouldn't have offered you that if I didn't want to."  
  
  
"It's ok." He said brusquely and turned to go, but inside his cloak he was shaking.  
  
  
  
  
The relocated Mammon Machine sat in a repurposed generator room behind no less than three sets of sealed doors, each with their own compliment of hand picked guards and enough wards to blow the hell out anyone trying to force their way through. Zeal had a queer little smirk as she led Magus through, like someone who had a surprise and could barely contain herself. Maybe Ayla would be jumping out of a cake. The last door shut behind them and Zeal took his hand with that same look.  
  
  
"Come on, it's right this way." She breathed and began to pull him quickly along the hall. She seemed excited for what was supposed to be just a casual peek, she moved quickly and her voice and demeanor contrasted heavily with her mature appearance. She was a ball of energy, like a kid with a new toy. They reached the Mammon Machine and Zeal pulled him next to her and looked up at it with adoration. As always Magus felt an intense unease around it. It was just a glorified power converter that Belthasar had built, he knew that, and yet he could never shake the feeling that it was alive and watching him. It loomed overhead, like a giant futuristic bat, the hum of it's mechanism like deep breathing. It seemed louder than ever and he could feel the air almost crackle as it invisibly did it's work.  
  
  
"It'll be safe here." Zeal said. "Isn't it splendid?" Her eyes were wide and shiny and she had a dreamlike smile on her face. Something felt different, and as Magus tried to put his finger on it he noticed that there was a large made bed under the Mammon Machine's shadow.  
  
  
"What's that for?" Magus asked and Zeal's hand slipped down and squeezed his ass through his cloak She was still looking up at the machine like it was a savior.  
  
  
"Can you feel it Prophet?" Her hand ran down his buttocks and her nails dug in as she squeezed. "The almighty power of Lavos?"  
  
  
"Of course your Majesty." Something wasn't right. Besides the bed. He felt the urge to go to it and lay down, he was starting to get tired all of a sudden but he couldn't say why. "Why do you have a bed in here?" Zeal finally blinked, as if she'd been sleepwalking, and then the lazy smile returned.  
  
  
"I sleep here now. It feels so good to warm myself underneath it, to soak it up, to make it part of me. It really is almighty you know, and soon I shall be as well. No aging, no death, we'll walk as gods on this planet! How would you like the love of a goddess for eternity?" Magus couldn't even imagine it at the moment, or even think about what sleeping next to a reactor was doing to her mind, because he was finding it more and more difficult to concentrate, like being drunk.  
  
  
"Your Majesty, I'm not feeling...so well. Maybe something I...ate. If you'll...you'll excuse me." Zeal's smile turned slowly to him. She was flushing in a way that made her look half her age, her eyes were wild and her chest was heaving. She looked like an animal ready to pounce, it made her look insane.  
  
  
"That's why I have the bed. It's for the both of us. I want to do it with you right now. I want to join with you and feel this energy with you. It'll heighten the pleasure for both of us." She placed her hands against him and began to gently push him back towards the bed. Magus stumbled back, trying to keep his footing. He couldn't think, his head was foggy, and his skin prickled with a feeling like static.  
  
  
"Somethings wrong. The machine..." Magus heard his own voice but it seemed to be coming from outer space.  
  
  
"It's wonderful, simply wonderful. I had the limiters released. The output has increased 80%, but we'll do far more once we move it to the Ocean Palace. To the source. Here, lay down darling and I'll take care of you." She held his chin and began to kiss him slowly as she hooked the other arm around his back, her tongue slipping between his lips, delicately flitting and then retreating. She pressed the kiss and her advantage, backing him down against the bed until he lay flat. Zeal pushed the hood back and her eyes closed as her lips brushed across his and her heavy chest pressed against him. She began to undress Magus as he struggled to stay awake. He had passed from drunk to sick-drunk.  
  
  
"I've been taking such good care of you recently haven't I darling? I wouldn't share Ayla with just anyone. I want to try this just once. You wouldn't deny your Queen?" She cooed as she held his head to her heavy bosom. She gave him several soft kisses along the chin and neck, before holding his face to hers and giving him a kiss that would melt steel. Magus was barely able to register it, his head had begun to throb like an aching tooth. His chest was bare now and Zeal's tongue followed a line down his belly before she pulled down his pants.  
  
  
"Ah, you're just how I like my men. Dazed and obedient, with a nice big cock on them.' Magus groaned, this was the wrong time for this, and he felt like he was going to be sick.  
  
  
"I've...got a headache." Zeal laughed boisterously and slapped him hard on the arm.  
  
  
"I'll get you started." She said as her lips encircled Magus' flacid penis before swallowing him whole, it felt like she was sucking the life out of him. She was so energetic, deep throating him almost to his base, that despite the room starting to spin he grew hard in her mouth until she released him with a satisfied pop.  
  
  
"Finally! Are you ready for the fuck of your life?" She asked him as she lifted her dress and sat down on his throbbing member reverse cowgirl. First the tip of his cock disappeared between Zeal's legs, then the shaft. She sighed with pleasure once he was fully inside and then began to squeeze and bounce up and down on his cock. Her ass was incredible but the movement was taking it out of Magus, the pain in his head was blinding and he felt his gut churning. He felt Lavo's eye was watching them through the Mammon Machine, and it was laughing.  
  
  
"Ohhh..." He moaned in pain, but Zeal took it as pleasure and started to jackhammer against him, building to a fever pitch.  
  
  
"Yes! Come on, don't stop fucking me! Don't stop!" She cried and he came then, more in self defense than anything before collapsing, completely spent.  
  
  
"Over so soon? I'm disappointed." His mother's voice was retreating, and the image of her on top of him went sideways, then toppled over as Magus fell into the oblivion of unconsciousness.  
  
  
  
  
  
Magus's eyes fluttered open and he resisted an urge to throw up. He was being jerked across the halls of the palace and the motion wasn't helping his nausea. Powerless to do more, he let his head loll to the side and saw he was being carried by two Thrashers. Magus tried to speak but only gagged and one of the silver masks glanced at him.  
  
  
"You back with us tough guy? Can you make it back to your room?"  
  
  
"N-n-..."  
  
  
"Guess that's a no. Come on, let's hurry up, this guy weighs a ton." His partner grunted and they continued to carry him. Judging by the horrified looks from the servants they passed Magus must have looked a sight. He managed a wretched moan, he had never felt so miserable in all his life. It was worse than the Masamune.  
  
  
"Guess the Queen was too much for him." The first Thrasher chuckled and his companion yanked Magus's arm in response.  
  
  
"Shut the fuck up! Remember what Adul got for running his mouth?"  
  
  
"Oh right." It was hard to tell with the silver mask but Magus swore the man winked at him. Magus could only respond with a trail of spittle down his chin. They rounded a corner and he recognized the hall. They stopped at his door and the less talkative Thrasher tried a key and then hissed in pain. The key fell, both it and the man's hand were smoking.  
  
  
"You'd better get that door open or so help me!" He put the key in Magus' hand who promptly lost consciousness again. He awoke a few seconds later to feel himself being shaken this way and that. His head was still spinning, the shaking made him feel like the whole world was a spinning top. The key was on the floor again.  
  
  
"Say, he doesn't look so good. I think he needs a doctor." Said the first Thrasher.  
  
  
"That right friend? You want a doctor?" Magus managed to nod and then the second Thrasher's fist rammed deep into his stomach. Magus fell to his knees and stopped himself puking only by sheer willpower before he was wrenched to his feet. Magus couldn't keep his eyes open without passing out, much less concentrate on a spell. He blindly took a swing at the mask in front of him but missed by a mile and the Thrashers laughed and simply caught his arm and jerked him back. It wasn't a right cross, it was the uncooridinated lunging of a drunk.  
  
  
"Say," Said the Thrasher in the mock tone of someone who's just had a superb idea. "Since we can't get you to your room, I'll bet Dalton knows some real good doctors. Let's go see him now, what say?" Magus snarled in response but what came out was more like a gurgle as he tried for the man's throat. The Thrasher simply let go of him and stepped aside and Magus crashed face first into the floor.  
  
  
"Whoops."  
  
  
"I demand to know what's going on here!" Magus opened an eye, from the floor he could make out the hem of a purple robe. It was Schala.  
  
  
"No need to worry Miss, the Prophet isn't, uh, well. The Queen told us to take him to his room."  
  
  
"Is that what this is? "Schala said imperiosly. "Maybe I should tell my mother her guards think her orders are open to interpretation?"  
  
  
"Forgive us princess! We were bringing him just like she asked, but we can't get his door open."  
  
  
"I'll do it."  
  
  
"Miss, you don't want to touch that, it's-" Magus heard the click of his door opening and struggled to keep his eyes open even though all he could see was their feet.  
  
  
"Bring him here." She said, and Magus felt himself hoisted back up as the first Thrasher whispered in his ear.  
  
  
"Just humbly servicing the whole royal family huh? Well we know about you, don't you forget it." He felt himself draped over Schala's slim frame and she doubled under his weight before getting his arm over her shoulder.  
  
  
"Princess, maybe we should-"  
  
  
"Leave." Said Schala with finality and slammed the door in their faces. Magus breathed deeply, coughed, then moaned.  
  
  
"Can you walk? What did they do to you?"  
  
  
"B-bed." Magus managed, and by some miracle they managed to stumble over to it together. He tried to open his eyes and see Schala but the room was spiraling uncontrollably and he didn't want to vomit. Through a sick green miasma, he felt her rearrange his legs on the bed proper. He heard the sound of running water, and a minute later there was the soft dab of a damn cloth across his head. She placed a small kiss on his forehead, and stroked his hair.  
  
  
"Schala, I-"  
  
  
"Shhhh. Rest now." The pain lancing through his brain ebbed, and gradually his guts stopped churning. He let Schala's touch and her cooing voice ease him into darkness, like a feather floating on a stream.  
  
  
  
  
  
He awoke, he didn't know how much later. Schala was sitting over him expectantly with an odd look.  
  
  
"Is there anything you want to tell me Janus?" Magus shook his head to clear it, but it felt full of cotton.  
  
  
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"  
  
  
"I got this amulet for Janus." Schala said, dangling it from the chain. With a jolt, Magus clutched to find it was gone, his neck was bare. "It's specially made and enchanted. You can't just pick one up anywhere. So the first thing I did was check to see if you had stolen it, but it's still right here." She took another amulet out of her pocket and compared the two. "Yours is a bit tarnished at the edges, but..." She opened one of the amulets and showed Magus the tiny hand painted portrait of herself that was inside. Then she opened the other. They had identical portraits.  
  
  
"Schala, it's someone's idea of a joke."  
  
  
"The joke is on me. Your amulet, your aura, your knowledge of us, of the future. You're Janus. You're my brother."  
  
  
"That's absurd!"  
  
  
"You've got the same mouth, the same nose, those bags under your eyes. Oh the hair and the irises are different, but it's you alright, I just never noticed before."  
  
  
"I've never heard of anything so ridiculous."  
  
  
"Oh really? Well then, if you're not my brother, you won't mind if I do...this?" Her hand stole beneath the covers and Magus realized he was naked under them. Her fingertips stroked his leg with barely a whisper of a touch but it brought chills of pleasure. Her gossamer touch continued up his thigh until she gently cupped his genitals and began to carress them. She kneeded his balls with her cool hand and Magus felt his limbs go numb.  
  
  
"Do you like this?"  
  
  
"No!" He lied, shaking his head, and her mocking smile widened.  
  
  
"What are you still hiding from me here?" She threw back the covers to reveal his pale, naked form. He was half erect already and the amused quirk of her mouth as she studied his cock brought him the rest of the way to attention. Taking him in her hand she began stroking, he felt himself helplessly lengthening with each smooth movement. With each stroke she rubbed underneath the head of his cock in a small circle before sliding back down his length.  
  
  
"Janus, you're such a big boy now. So I know how much you love me. Are you sure you won't help your sister?"  
  
  
"Schala, what's gotten into you? Please stop!"  
  
  
"I was hoping you would get into me. You don't really want me to stop do you?" Schala breathed. He felt the soft pressure of her breasts against his stomach as she began to kiss down his thighs and then slowly drew her delicate tongue back along his legs. Hiking up her robe she moved to a more comfortable position and Magus found himself an inch away from her ass. She was wearing lacy indigo colored panties, and as she moved the curved cheeks backed directly into his nose. He inhaled the scent of her sex as the cleft ground gently against him, he could feel the moist heat from it even under the panties. He felt an unbelievable warmth around his cock and felt the familiar friction as Schala began to suck on him. Magus moaned and felt himself melt as she ran her tongue up to his tip.  
  
  
"Come on, do me too!" The thin fabric covering her ass was rubbing against his nose now. Losing his resolve he pulled it aside with a single finger and dipped his tongue into Schala's delicate labia. She trembled as he tasted her, her hips hovered above his mouth, rising, keeping balance, before sinking onto the top of his waiting tongue.  
  
  
"Oh! Down a little lower. You're so good little brother!" Schala moved down now and straddled Magus, looking down at him with sultry eyes. "Now give it all to me!"  
  
  
"Schala, this isn't like you!"  
  
  
"No, but it's just like you." She grinned and looked past Magus. "Did you enjoy fucking your own mother tonight? I bet you did. Right mother?' Startled, Magus turned his head to see Zeal naked directly behind him. The queen squeezed her large breasts together over his face, cutting off his vision as he was enveloped in smooth, heavy flesh.  
  
  
"I know you want both of us Janus. Don't you have a kiss for mommy?"  
  
  
The image faded and became unreal as Magus struggled to wake up, like a diver surfacing for air. The dream had been one of those nasty tricks his subconscious liked to play on him he thought dimly. Always was afraid of getting found out. Magus still wasn't coherent and his body was reluctant to wake. Even the sensations of the dream continued to persist for long minutes as he regained consciousness. He could still feel Schala's soft breast in his hand, and the pressure of her body. It all felt so very real.  
  
  
His eyes opened and he realized he was sitting up, not lying down. He felt a familiar wet heat around his fingers and heard rapid panting. The light was on and as he blinked his brain gradually caught up with his body and realized what was happening. Schala lay on his lap, flushed and breathing hard. Magus's left hand was cupping her breast underneath her robe; he could feel the soft skin and the hard tip of her nipple as it brushed his palm. His right hand was lower, his middle finger slipping into his sister and teasing before retreating in a rhythm that was so second nature to him he could do it in his sleep. Schala's eyes were closed in an expression of unwilling ectasy even as Magus' went wide when she shuddered against him and then kissed him open mouthed. Instinctually his tongue met hers, her mouth tasted of tropical fruit. He felt paralyzed, his body wasn't listening to his brain even as his thumb strummed her clit. His tongue and his finger resolutely refused to leave the warmth of his sister and his brain refused to process what it was doing.  
  
  
With a violent jerk he let go of her so suddenly she almost fell off the bed. Magus gulped for air as Schala sat back up. She was disheveled and flushing red. She fixed her robe, her face a mask of hurt and confusion.  
  
  
"Why did you stop?" Magus could only gasp in response, his heart was racing. Was he dreaming again? In a panic he clutched at his neck to find the amulet gone once more. No, wait. He felt in his pocket, he had taken to keeping it there in case this sort of thing happened. His fingers touched the amulet.  
  
  
"Are you ok Prophet?" He coughed loudly, shaking his head.  
  
  
"Don't move." Schala got up and poured some water from a pitcher and Magus rubbed his aching eyes. He could still smell her scent on his fingertips. She regarded him quietly as he downed the glass.  
  
  
"What happened? What did I do?"  
  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
  
"I was asleep." She sighed, a long, drawn out, stressed out sound.  
  
  
"You were calling out my name. When I went to check on you, you pulled me close and..."  
  
  
"And?" Schala adjusted her collar and Magus realized he could still almost see her breasts. "Schala, I'm so sorry." She gave him a feeble smile.  
  
  
"You don't have to apologize. I knew you were still asleep. I know I should have woken you up but it just felt so good." She blushed to her roots, embarassed by the admission. "It was nice."  
  
  
"I can't believe you'd let me do something like that! I might have done something we would have regretted!"  
  
  
"If a good looking woman you like starts kissing you are you really going to fight her off?" Schala retorted and Magus fell silent. That was exactly what he was trying to do. "Well don't think its any different for me just because I'm a woman. It's even harder for me."  
  
  
"How do you mean?" Schala touched his face and for a moment Magus was scared she would kiss him again. His body would rebel against his wishes if she made a move; he was completely at her mercy. Instead, the hand slid down to his shoulder and gave it a pat.  
  
  
"Do you mind if I lay down for awhile? If you think you can control yourself. I've been taking care you for a couple hours now." He nodded and she wrapped herself around him. He felt better but still weak, so he let himself lay back and she lay her head on his chest.  
  
  
"That offer last night wasn't just for you. It's not just that I don't have a boyfriend, there haven't been any boys in years. Not since my mother took to Lavos. I don't just mean kissing either. I haven't even held hands with someone in so long, so you can't imagine what just your touch does for me."  
  
  
"I can't believe that. There's got to be throngs of guys who want to be near you."  
  
  
"I'm the princess, it's intimidating. Then if that's not enough, there's my mother. She says it's because of Janus' father that she doesn't trust men, that they'll just use me. I guess he hurt her pretty bad. Of course it's all about Lavos though. She doesn't want me distracted. 'History rests on your shoulders Schala.'" She said in her mock Zeal voice and Magus slid his eyes from the ceiling to his sister. She was nestled with her head in the crook of his arm, looking at nothing in particular as she talked.  
  
  
"There was a boy, years ago. He was in the science academy in Kajar. I thought it was love." She sighed. "I was so stupid. Looking back on it now I realize I was just feeling all these things for the first time. He could have been anyone. I never really knew him and I guess he never really knew me. I still don't know what love is."  
  
  
"Love is when you care about someone more than you care about yourself." Magus murmured and Schala's soft eyes flicked up to his face. He understood hate intimately, it was similar in some ways. He gently stroked Schala's blue mane, tired. He'd never known this side of her and he couldn't recall her ever having a boyfriend. "You're cheating what you felt though. What happened?"  
  
  
"We tried to keep it secret. We made plans, lots of silly plans. Looking back it's embarassing how naive I was. Mother caught wind of it and offered him a prestigious research post. I guess he does well there now."  
  
  
"He was a fool to give you up."  
  
  
"Mother probably gave him a choice between the post and Mount Woe. I can't blame him and yet, yeah. You know what hurts the most? Not that he gave me up. The fact that he never said goodbye, never said anything. No letter, nothing. I think if he had just dumped me and told me I was a piece of human garbage it wouldn't have hurt nearly as much." Her laugh was short and bitter.  
  
  
"Knowing your mother she'd feed him to the fish over a goodbye letter."  
  
  
"Probably." She was quiet and a long time passed as the clock quietly ticked and Magus enjoyed the simple pressure of her body against his. He felt a strange mix of emotions that had no business going together. The pleasure he would feel laying with any beautiful woman, a feeling that to him defined manhood even more than battle. Along with that was a simple brotherly love for her, a need to comfort and draw comfort from her. The two feelings shouldn't have meshed at all with his sister, but somehow they did. For now though, just her touch was enough. She squirmed against him and looked him in the eyes.  
  
  
"I didn't like you and it felt like you wanted to get away from me every chance you got. Then I finally figured out why. I knew you were nervous around me and it was just so easy to tease you after Janus' birthday. She ran a finger along Magus' long ear and he sighed contentedly. Even if he hadn't been weakened she could have done anything she liked to him. "So I thought nothing would come of it, or maybe you'd be a pig and that would be the end but you just always stood by my side, quietly when I needed you. I keep getting these feelings from you that I still don't understand and now I know you dream of me too."  
  
  
"Schala, whatever I feel there can never be anything between us. Don't think that I wouldn't love there to be, but I've already got someone."  
  
  
"My mother." Magus stiffened but Schala's expression didn't change. "I know you're afraid of what she'd do to you. I don't blame you for making that up to protect yourself."  
  
  
"You're sure I made it up?" His chest was tight, he didn't want Schala to make a move on him but her suspecting an affair with Zeal would be worse.  
  
  
"No...but when you talk about that woman, it just seems the feeling isn't there. I'm old enough now that I'm not just going to stand aside without a fight. Not like my boyfriend did." She fell silent and they lay that way for awhile. "It's getting late. I've been here a few hours, my mother will kill me."  
  
  
"Nothing happened."  
  
  
"I know, I was there when it didn't happen." She said and he blushed. "I guess they can't say anything. I did take care you after all. I've got to go soon, oh I forgot completely! How did you get so sick anyway?" Magus remembered Zeal driving down against his rod and releasing inside of her as Lavo's energy made his head spin.  
  
  
"I went to see the Mammon Machine with your mother. She had the filters removed." Schala's face drained of color and she raised her hand to her mouth.  
  
  
"She'd be better off snorting Y'Len root! How is she even still alive?"  
  
  
"She soaks it up. She's practically sleeping with the damned thing!"  
  
  
"You know what this means right? Look what it did to you! This should be enough to convince anyone. Will you help me?" Magus shook his head.  
  
  
"I told you, I have a plan."  
  
  
"Well let's hear it." Magus hesitated, unsure how to phrase it better.  
  
  
"I'm going to destroy Lavos."  
  
  
"How?" Schala finally asked after he didn't elaborate.  
  
  
"With my own two hands. No Lavos, no Mammon Machine, no immortality for Zeal's sycophants. The whole thing comes crashing down."  
  
  
"You're insane! His residual energy is enough to power the entire country! Gaspar's proven just his aura is enough to warp space and time. A flea would have a better chance fighting a dog."  
  
  
"That's exaggeration. Nothing lasts forever Schala, believe me, he can be killed. I've prepared my whole life to fight him. It's the only way we'll ever truly be free. Otherwise Lavos will just find himself another puppet down the line."  
  
  
"You're insane..." She repeated distantly, her voice washed out. No one contradicted her. The silence after the soft click of Magus' door closing was deafening.  
  
  
  
  
Magus regarded the three strangers suspended in the containment field for what felt like hours. They floated, eyes closed, hair and clothing rippling with the upward energy current. They looked peaceful, but Magus had not slept since Schala had left. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was being a fool. He could help Schala deal with Zeal and Dalton. Not her way though. If a few of the Zealians didn't like it, so what? They could learn to fear the name of Magus. Fuck the time stream. The more he thought of it, the better it sounded. It would be so much easier. A force powerful enough to destroy the most advanced civilization humanity had ever created, to breach time itself and Magus was going to just kill it single handed?  
  
  
"That's weakness talking." Magus muttered, looking at the boy. They had survived his army, his best generals, and even a round of Dark Matter. He had been weakened enormously by the Masamune it was true, but that didn't matter. How had these fleas beaten him? They'd caught him distracted and off guard. Just like Lavos would be. So if they could beat the odds why couldn't he? Lavos would rise at the appointed hour expecting only Zealian sheep and find a lion instead and then Magus would end him for good and all. He would worry more about the details when he got there.  
  
  
There was the hushed sound of young voices and Magus quickly ducked behind a pillar as Schala, Janus, and his cat Alfador entered the chamber. As he listened to their tense whispering, and then the sound of the containment field deactivating, his brow furrowed. Realizing what he had to do, Magus stepped out from behind the pillar.  
  
  
"I'm afraid I can't allow that..."  
  
  
  
  
  
_Authors Notes: Finally got the word count under control, I also went back and cleaned up a few of the older chapters, 3 and 4 were a mess! It took 3 chapters to get anywhere with Schala, but I'd rather things happen in character with her, even if its taking FOREVER. Also finally feel like I have a handle on writing her, but having trouble switching back to Zeal now, what a pain. I tried making the dream sequence vague and confusing like a dream would be, I thought of doing a full on Schala & Zeal threesome in it but I don't really like writing dream sequences and I thought turning her into Sasha Grey would be a big tipoff. PS, I've gotten to third base asleep before. Also, Ayla needed some more lovel. Did you catch the Chrono Cross callout I hid in there? Now there's a theory that would make an interesting fic.  
  
  
So I know I said there would only be one chapter after this but I don't want it to go overlong and I'm not 100% sure I can promise , so instead I'm going to break it up into yet 2 more smaller chapters just to be safe since I have a really good stopping point mid chapter. We're getting there!  
  
  
  
Next chapter: One more chance to try and get into Zeal's head and Zeal's pants! Magus' sneaking around with Schala comes to a head and Schala makes a drastic attempt to stop Lavos._


	6. Obsession

Chapter 6- Obsession  
  
  
  
_Finch: Well, as they say, we'll always have Paris._  
_Stifler's Mom: And the pool table._  
_Finch: And the car.  
Stifler's Mom: And the two-room suite I have upstairs..._  
  
  
  
  
  
How's the research coming?" Magus asked casually. The man was a few years older than himself and wore the uniform of a meteorologist. His unkempt hair was as greasy as the smile he flashed and Magus observed the shirt under his robe was inside out.  
  
“Oh you know. No exciting news in the world of air currents.”  
  
“That's unfortunate. “ Magus looked about the hall to make sure nobody was watching them. He looked disinterestedly at the wall as he dropped his voice. “Because I understand the kingdom pays you quite a bit of money for that research.”  
  
“I'm sorry, I'd really love to stay and chat but I'm taking lunch.“ The man adjusted his collar and jerked his head conspicuously before walking off. Magus waited five minutes and then walked after him. He wandered the labyrinthine corridors of Kajar before opening a door seemingly at random and stepping through. The assistant was waiting with a large parcel wrapped in cloth and Magus locked the door. The man's name was Milon and he was Melchior's dropout apprentice. He was part of the pitifully small black market in Zeal since the Queen had cracked down, and Magus had paid him most of the coin his position as her favorite afforded.  
  
“Alright then, I hope you have some results.”  
  
“It's not nearly finished.” Milon said, unwrapping the cloth to reveal Magus' scythe. It was changed from when he had commissioned the work, Magus could see the handle was now a solid ebony material with line after line of tiny silver runes sketched across the surface. The crescent blade of the scythe now had an iridescent sheen to it, like a dragonfly's wing.  
  
“You've had months and you're expensive. I need this weapon by the end of the week.” Milon sighed and Magus resisted the urge to shove the man through the wall, but he was limited with how far he could threaten him. Queen's favorite or not, this kind of work was highly illegal.  
  
“Like I told you before, the materials and the forging method were substandand and primitive. I've compensated by welding the lode alloy to it but it'll never be as powerful as a brand new one.”  
  
“That would take too long, and the enchantments on it are worth more than the scythe itself.”  
  
“Yes, that's where I'm getting hung up. They're crude but extensive. I augmented those I could decipher but most of them are foreign and I could screw the whole thing up unless I know exactly what I'm dealing with. You sure you don't want to tell me who made this thing? Not the Earthbound.”  
  
“You're better off not knowing. How long to get the rest?”  
  
“Another six months.” Magus drew his breath in to keep from saying what he really thought. The man was no Melchior.  
  
“Not good enough. Where does that leave us with it?”  
  
“It's still better than anything Dalton has. Why don't you give it a try?” He handed the scythe over and Magus calmed himself slightly, feeling it's comforting familiar weight. Milon walked over to a large canvas, pulling it aside. Underneath was a statue of his mother, Zeal, a vaguely superior expression on it's stone lips. It was a common piece in the kingdom.  
  
“What's this?”  
  
“You pay so well I thought I'd spend a little on target practice. It's solid marble. Told them I wanted it for my collection. You know what an admirer I am of her Highness.” He said with dripping sarcasm as he eyed the statue. “Great tits.” He added.  
  
“Rather. Stand back.” Magus twirled the scythe in front of him, spinning the long blade in arcs that brought it within inches of his ankles before gripping it and slicing through the statue at the neck. There was a moments resistance at the center and then the scythe cleaved through his mother's likeness. The head rolled along the floor before settling, it's gray eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling  
  
“You sliced that bitch's head clean off! Serves her right for shutting me down.” Magus took a breath; it wasn't nearly as cathartic as he'd thought it would be. Marble was good, but that might not be enough against Lavos.  
  
“Can you do anything more with it before the week's out?”  
  
“If I worked on it night and day, maybe I could get another rune or two. It wouldn't be much.”  
  
“Do it then.” Magus reached into his pocket and dropped a sack of coins in Milon's hand, almost all the money he had left. “I need every edge I can get.”  
  
  
  
Magus leaned against one of the outer walls of the palace and ran a hand through his hair, watching gray clouds rolling in from the distance. The surface would get the worst of it but it still looked bad even from up here. His jaunt to Kajar was just a way to put off the coming storm, and not the one beneath them. Queen Zeal had requested him, and Schala. Together. That meant keeping their story straight. Except Schala wasn't talking to him anymore ever since they'd disposed of Chrono and the others. When ever he saw her Schala's eyes seemed to pass over Magus like he wasn't there. He had even gone to Janus out of desperation to try and pass her a message only for the boy to swear at his future self bitterly.  
  
It had all been a very bad scene after the escape. Schala had been sobbing at first and then once that passed, a cold, deathly silence. She hadn't spoken to him since, but that had been the least of his worries at the time. If Magus thought his mother was bad before he had been completely unprepared for her reaction to the escape. Zeal had frothed at the mouth, sure of a huge conspiracy against her and more than a few sad souls who had taken their opposition underground lost their lives as she razed the kingdom in search of conspirators. Just teenagers passing pamphlets, kids really, talking anti-Lavos politics in hushed tones in each others parlors...the lucky ones went to Mount Woe. Whole familes disappeared.  
  
There was no way he was letting her take the blame, so Magus hid Schala's pendant and concocted a simple story, someone had stolen it and freed the captives. Zeal was climbing up the walls in rage, she had personally struck Magus, Dalton, and even Schala. Magus had licked blood from the corner of his lip, trying to hide the murderous glint in his eye beneath the hood. If Zeal had known anything, she wouldn't have wasted time beating the high court, but enough was enough. When it was clear Zeal was going to tear the world apart before letting the matter go Magus planted the pendant in the quarters of one of Dalton's rivals. The man was a high ranking officer and a sadistic piece of shit that had led some of the recent purges, so he was perfect . If it threw suspicion on anyone else it was Dalton for the frameup, at any rate it was good enough for the Queen and the man was swiftly dealt with. Finally things were starting to calm down a little again, and now this. Magus took a breath; today would be very hard.  
  
Schala was taking breakfast again on the veranda, it felt like it had been eternity since they last enjoyed it together When she saw him she stopped eating and stared at her plate as he sat down, as if she had never seen such a thing. It was like they had become strangers again. He endured the silence for as long as he could until it was clear she wasn't going to speak.  
  
“Look Schala. I know it's not what you wanted, but sending those three away was for the best. The Queen's still ripping the kingdom to pieces to find them, if they had stayed they'd be dead by now. Where ever they came from, they're better off there than here.” Magus thought he saw her twitch slightly but she didn't look up. She sat silent as a life sized doll.  
  
“I heard they found my pendant in the pocket of some commandant.” She finally said, without any inflection.  
  
“He won't be missed. It was very clean.” Her eyes flicked up at him at that with a trace of disgust in them.  
  
“You could have helped them. You could have helped me. You betrayed me, forced me to...to...” She heaved a sigh as if it didn't matter anymore.  
  
“I was protecting the both of us. They were completely unpredictable and we're better off without them. You saved them and that's going have to be enough because no one is overthrowing your mother, no one. This past week should be proof of that.” Schala gave him a venomous look awhen he tried to pat her hand and she jerked it away with something like horror. "The Queen wants the two of us at the Neaera platform today. You've got to keep your head and you have just got to get over this for now!"  
  
“I'll go there myself.”  
  
“For Darkness sake! We're going together, I don't trust you while you're like this. I'm sorry I have to be cruel but I'll do what it takes to keep you out of more trouble.”  
  
“Whatever you want. It's not like I can stop you. It's not like I can do anything.”  
  
“Just stop Schala. We've got our duties, and you have to do yours, it's that simple."  
  
"Oh fuck my duties!" She screamed in frustration and Magus looked around in an ecstasy of apprehension, but they were still alone.  
  
"They must have heard you for miles!" He hissed and she simply returned his glare evenly.  
  
“I don't care. I don't care what else you have to say either.” This time he gripped her wrist and she tried to pull away but he held her fast. Her eyes burned at him and there was a cough from behind them. Magus turned to see one of the attendants watching them with wide eyes.  
  
“I just just came to clean up after mistress Schala.”  
  
“That's fine,” Magus grit as Schala rubbed her thin wrist. “We're just finishing up,” He leaned in and whispered: “And I won't hear another word till we've dealt with your mother.”  
  
  
  
The sky was dark as they walked, the day as moody as Magus felt. He just couldn't wrap his head around it, Schala had never acted this way. She had always been the responsible one, taking on the weight of the world when he had done whatever he pleased as Janus, but maybe that was just another childhood illusion. They walked for a long time in silence, not close like before. Magus could think of a thousand excuses to make, but that was just what they sounded like. He wasn't angry with her, not really. He had never meant to show her that side of himself but it had to be done, why couldn't she understand? Finally, they were in sight of the Skyway and Magus reached out and held Schala's hand. She didn't pull away this time but looked at it with a depressed resignation as he drew her close and then drew a shuddering breath against his chest.  
  
"You and Janus and the Gurus are the only ones who treated me like a person and not just some tool and where has it gotten everyone? The Gurus are imprisoned, poor Janus is all alone and you and I have nothing in our lives but helping my mother destroy the kingdom my family built. Then you used me. You used me!" Magus ran a tentative hand through her hair and she seemed to get ahold of herself; her eyes were watery.  
  
“I didn't want to Schala. I'm trying to keep you safe. I know it'll never be like it was but I don't want things to be like this between us. I'm sorry.”  
  
"I'm not the person everybody thinks I am. I can't do this.” The wind picked up a little and Schala moved a little closer against the chill. Magus knew she might take it as more than he meant but it didn't seem to matter.  
  
"Sometimes I wish I were just a maid or a cook. Just something, someone unimportant. Nobody would look to me to usher in some golden age and all I'd have to worry about was my family. Do you understand?" Schala was intertwined with him now, and he would have to push her away soon or comfort his sister. He was only now starting to understand what she had really been going through and she seemed so lost and broken...Magus pat her back and then pushed her away, but gently, and she sobbed once, then sniffled.  Magus reached out and wiped her nose with his cloak and she snorted, then gave him a half smile.  He felt himself returning her smile in spite of himself.  
  
"That's pretty gross." She said.  
  
"If anyone asks I'll just tell them it's an emerald I had embroidered." It was the first time he'd heard her laugh in a week and after awhile they walked again, a little closer now.  
  
  
  
The Neaera platform was a large floating rig used to sink the heavier equipment and materials in the construction of the Ocean Palace. The more dangerous exterior work had now been completed and soon the rig wouldn't serve anything but a support function. The clock was ticking and Magus looked forward to the fated hour with anticipation and dread. The rig was ugly and utilitarian, all soulless metal with cranes and pulleys constantly hauling or dropping equipment into the churning gray sea. Queen Zeal looked as out of place on it as clean clothes on an Earthbound, a heavy shawl her only concession to the cold. She waved her attendants out of the small meeting room and regarded the two.  
  
"I suppose I should be grateful you showed up at all.”  
  
"I'm sorry." Schala said quietly before looking down from her mother's withering glare. Zeal's eyes flicked from her daughter to her son suspiciously, then seemed to clear.  
  
"I want my instructions followed to the letter from now on." She eyed Magus. "Since you're here, tell me about those rebels that got away. When will they make their next move?" Magus shifted uncomfortably. It had only been a bit of insurance telling Zeal about them in the first place, just in case Frog and the others somehow followed him through the gate. Their magic, their strange clothes and weapons, their knowledge of Lavos...they had to be time travelers like himself.  
  
"They may not make any move at all your Majesty. By following my prophecies, we've made far more progress than we would have through natural events. Some things I've glimpsed before may not come to pass now. We stopped them once already, I don't think they'll be back."  
  
"But they still might though?" Zeal asked with an edge in her voice that grated on him. No, they had to be gone this time, it had only been a fluke before.  
  
"Possibly."  
  
"Then I want to safeguard the progress we've made. I want the Ocean Palace operational within the month. That means you'll have to eat, sleep and breath the Mammon Machine Schala. We're also stepping up the construction schedule. I don't care if we have to round up and work every lazy Earthbound to the bone, we will achieve the immortality we deserve!" Schala looked like she had been sucker punched and seemed to sway on her feet.  
  
"Mother, you can't! I'll do what you ask, we'll all do what you ask but please don't hurt the Earthbound any further!"  
  
"Look at my daughter, begging. The heirs to my throne, a beggar, and the other a magic-less delinquent. Where did I go wrong? Don't worry about those Earthbound animals my dear, their lives will be given for the glory of our eternal kingdom. It's really more than they could ask for. They will be remembered when we ascend to godhood." Schala looked at her mother like she had transformed into a squirming pile of putrescence. When Zeal just continued to smile her self-satisifed little smile Schala choked and suddenly bolted for the door.  
  
"Schala! Schala, get back here this instant!" The door slammed and without thinking Magus was already moving after her.  
  
"Where do you think you're going? I didn't give you permission to leave Prophet." It was a mighty effort, but Magus turned back on his heel and forced himself to kneel before his mother. At the moment sinking the rig to the bottom of the sea with Zeal on it seemed about the most gratifying thing he could do.  
  
"That's better. I don't suppose you have any problem with all of this?"  
  
"As your Majesty wishes." He gritted.  
  
"You seem to have time to fritter away recently, and I noticed you've been frittering most of it with Schala. She's grown more willful of late, you were supposed to keep her in line, not be her best friend. I hope you haven't forgotten your place. She is my daughter after all."  
  
"I live to serve you." He said blandly.  
  
"Yes, **ME**. Not Schala." She caressed his cheek with the back of her hand, almost gently. "I want you by my side when the time comes Prophet. The two of us will never age, imagine what kind of pleasures we could discover." Magus said nothing, but gave the hand a kiss in reply, after how she had talked to Schala it gave him all the pleasure of kissing a maggot ridden corpse.  
  
"Go on then, bring her back to me."  
  
He found Schala staring listlessly at the swelling waves from the deck. He felt grateful to feel the dismal chill and wind, as long as they weren't trapped in that claustrophobic room with that madwoman and her whirling eyes. He remembered Zeal's warning but ignored it and put an arm over Schala, covering her with his cloak. She said nothing, her eyes seeking the sea, but finally she rested her head against him and shivered.  
  
"You'll catch your death out here."  
  
"That wouldn't be so bad though would it? At least nobody else would have to suffer." Schala watched the crashing gray waves with a grim expression that unnerved Magus. “I can still do something after all.”  
  
"What in hell are you talking about?"  
  
"I mean I'm the key to everything. Without me, mother's plan falls completely apart doesn't it? One little gear pops out and the whole clock stops." She laughed a toneless, hopeless little laugh. Magus held her closer, more out of alarm than the desire to comfort.  
  
"It's not worth your life. Anyway, it's stupid..." he said, trying to defuse this bomb he had somehow inadvertently lit. "You're not the only one who could interface with the Mammon Machine. If something happened to you they'd just find someone else. Maybe Janus." She laughed bitterly again.  
  
"How many years do you think that would be? Ten? She doesn't want to spend eternity as an old woman, that's why she's in such a rush. You know what else? I think Lavos is actually using her. It wants to be woken up. It wants to destroy us because we're flying to close to the sun and our time is done. We're like primates that just discovered how to use tools and now we think we run the zoo. Oh you don't know, I can tell from your look. When I draw out it's power I can feel it. It's fed for longer than you can imagine, it's always feeding but it's still so hungry. "  
  
"Then Lavos can just eat me." Magus chuckled, but she was quiet and the joke fell flat.  
  
“Without me, Lavos and the Enlightened are separated by a locked door. I'm the key."  
  
"Let's go inside where it's warm and we can talk."  
  
"I don't have anything to say to that, that **thing** in there."  
  
"Let her say whatever she wants. You don't have to talk, you don't even have to listen. Just nod in the right places and we'll sort this out later."  
  
"You know it's not just talk. She'll use me to destroy everyone and everything just so she can live forever!" She was looking straight down now over the rail at the churning waves with a dreadful fascination that made Magus' skin crawl. The weather was getting worse, and he felt the rig shift ever so slightly beneath his feet, it was like being in the crow's nest of a ship.  
  
With a speed he didn't think possible Schala scrambled from his grip and propelled herself over the railing. The tops of her legs caught on the bars and then she swung head over heels, in another second her feet would follow. There was no way she would survive. With a cry Magus grabbed her ankle with both hands and pulled with all his might. The wet metal and the driving wind made for terrible footing, but he held onto her with a desperate strength. For Gods sakes, why wasn't there anyone on deck to help him he thought as she flailed and slipped in his grip. Now he had her by the last inch of her ankle, if she slipped again he would lose her. He was strong but so was gravity, and he couldn't get her back up. He tightened his grip hard enough to cut off circulation and closed his eyes, blocking out the pain in his muscles, the wet cold, his sister's screams and concentrated on levitating her. He reached out with his mind, letting the pain feed his magic, it was difficult to focus but he was able to generate just enough force beneath Schala to finally haul her up and over the side. They collapsed together in a heap on the hard metal deck. The rain was drizzling on Magus' face like pinpricks of ice, and the freezing metal bit at his skin. Finally he had his breath back and lifted himself up. His arms were killing him as he lifted his pale sister's head. Schala's eyes found focus and she gave him a strange look.  
  
Her jade eyes roamed his face, and he realized his hood had fallen back in the struggle. He began to pull his hood up and her hand stopped him.  
  
"You don't have to."  
  
"I've got to for now. Your mother." She nodded in understanding and he looked around as he covered up. Still no witnesses, unbelievable! If she had decided to jump before he got there they would have never found the body. The thought was too much and he held her tightly, trying to warm her in his arms.  
  
"Don't tell anyone, please don't tell anyone!" She sobbed into his chest.  
  
  
  
  
Magus told no one, there was no predicting what Queen Zeal would have done with such news but it could only have been bad. Schala promised there would be no more suicide attempts only after Magus had likewise promised to do what he could for the Earthbound. His sister had sat sullenly through the rest of their mother's rantings until Magus had broke in and mentioned that as Schala was far more important to their plan than some faceless Earthbound laborers, she should be calm and focused. Since she cared so for the Earthbound, it might be distracting if they were abused, and distraction at the critical moment could mean failure.  
  
"Fine, I'll feed the gutter trash and let them sleep a few hours each day. In return Schala, I'll expect you to make up the difference."  
  
"Oh, I will, thank you mother!" Magus felt like the moment called for sarcasm but she truly sounded grateful.  
  
When Zeal finally had her fill of micromanaging on the Naera they returned to the palace that evening. The dark storm clouds were passing and now patches of star strewn velvet night were showing through. At dinner, amid all the normal chatter at the table, Schala sat like a stone, barely picking at her food. Magus had been about to say something to her when she abruptly puked right onto her plate. The table went silent like a rock being thrown into a frog's pond. Zeal looked around the table, embarrassed, but most of the court had the grace to look elsewhere.  
  
“Schala! If you're not feeling well leave the table this instant!”  
  
“I'm sorry.” She mumbled, wiping her mouth. “I thought I could make it.” She stood and stumbled unsteadily away and slowly the conversation resumed. Magus was thinking of heavy, grinding ocean waves, of what they would feel like as they filled Schala's lungs.  
  
“I'd better go make sure the Princess lays down and rests.” Magus began to get up and Zeal glared at him coldly. It was his cue to sit down and shut up, but instead he tucked his chair underneath the table. “Wouldn't want her puking in the halls.” He added, loud enough for the table to hear. Zeal turned the glare on a nearby server who was gawking at them before giving Magus a minute nod. She drank deep from her goblet and turned her hard eyes towards the walls for now. He was dismissed.  
  
Magus knocked on the door, once, twice, but there was no answer. He knew the servants gossiped, and he had no idea what Zeal really thought of his relationship with Schala's, but fuck them. It was too late to worry about those things. She could be slitting her wrists in there he thought, and that did it. He was about ready to break the door down when the knob turned and Janus stood in the doorway looking up at him contemptuously.  
  
“Is Schala here?”  
  
“Yeah, she's here. What did you and my mom do to her?” Magus glanced over the boy's head, he could see Schala in bed with her face buried in the pillow. He looked back down at the angry green eyes and debated how much he should tell himself.  
  
“The Queen is stepping up construction of the Ocean Palace and Schala didn't take it well. Did she tell you anything?” Janus clenched and unclenched his fists.  
  
“No. She just told me she was sick and whenever I try to talk to her she just shakes her head. She was crying. I knew that bitch said something to her!”  
  
“Can I come in?” Janus just glared at him, barring the way, short and truculent, and Magus was about ready to push himself aside when Schala moaned.  
  
“Just let him in Janus.” Grudgingly Janus took exactly one step to the side and Magus was able to squeeze past him. Schala's was still face down and she made small noises as he leaned over her, he couldn't tell if they were sobs or she was still sick. He took off a glove and put it gently on her shaking shoulder.  
  
“Hey, get your goddamn hands off of my sister!” Janus shouted and kicked Magus in the shin. He gritted his teeth and it took everything he had not to lash out at the boy as he rubbed his sore leg.  
  
“You're really pushing my understanding young Prince, it's been a bad day.”  
  
“I won't let you hurt her anymore!” Janus looked furious and ready to trade blows with the towering Prophet and they were so focused on each other that they didn't notice until Schala's hands each grasped theirs.  
  
“It's ok Janus. It's not him...” Her face was pale and she smiled at the boy's distrustful scowl. “This time. Please go get me some water.” Janus squeezed her hand and gave Magus a look that burned like acid as he shoved by.  
  
“He's angry.”  
  
“All he knows is that we're not on good terms. I'm sorry to give you so much trouble before.” Magus sat down on the bed with her and took her hand.  
  
“I didn't know how much pressure you were under. Are you feeling any better?”  
  
“A little, but, uh...” She held her hand over her mouth a moment. “The Earthbound. If you can do more for them maybe I could deal with all this.”  
  
“I'll talk to your mother tonight. You're sick over it, that's the way I'll sell it, I'll leave out everything else.”  
  
“Thank you.” She smiled weakly and moaned again then lay back on the pillow.  
  
“I've been selfish Schala, I'll try to find a way to do more. I will help you, I promise, I'm going to take care of it right now.”  
  
“Can I have a kiss before you go?”  
  
“You just puked and your brother would kill me before your mother had a chance to.” Her mild eyes registered disappointment and he ruffled her hair.  
  
“I'm kidding. Janus and I will take care of you. Get better soon.” He briefly considered Schala's strawberry lips, but that wasn't what either of them needed now. He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss on the forehead, and then another on her flushed cheek. Janus came back then with her water and she chugged down the glass before closing her eyes. After a minute he heard his sister's light snore and Janus spoke low without turning.  
  
“I still don't like you Prophet. You should just stay away from us.”  
  
“I tried Janus. Take care of your sister, you're all she's got.” Janus didn't reply and Magus took that as his cue to leave. Schala continued to sleep soundly, her guardian quietly watching over her, a dark, raging tempest trapped inside the form of a small boy.  
  
  
  
  
Zeal was not happy to see him. She was signing edicts in her chambers and it was all he could do to get her to acknowledge him.  
  
“How did I know this would be about Schala again?” She sighed irritably.  
  
“I worry about her..." Magus watched Zeal dip her quill again. "Mental health."  
  
“Yes, she's such a delicate thing, isn't she? A Queen needs to be hard and strong. She'll learn.”  
  
“Your Majesty, you're pushing her too hard. She's very sick and she's only going to get worse.”  
  
“What nonsense. A little stress won't hurt her in the long run, not when immortality is the prize. Immortality and ultimate power!”  
  
“Schala can't take it, she's already at her limit. If you push any harder you'll kill her.” Zeal put down the quill and the temperature in the room plummeted as she turned her flat stare on him.  
  
“Sounds dramatic. You often intercede on my daughter's behalf Prophet. What's that about, hmm?”  
  
“Everything is tied to her, you need her. Without Schala, there's no immortality for anyone. No one else can interface with the Mammon Machine with the same skill level. Maybe you could, but that would be months of recalibration and, what, three or four years of practice?” Zeal's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Magus didn't actually think his mother could take Schala's place. He probably could have himself, but he wasn't about to tell her that.  
  
“Do you think I don't know about you and Schala?” Magus had a moment's fear and remembered himself. He may have had thoughts, but he hadn't done anything with his sister, not really. The worst he had done was finger her while he was asleep but Zeal couldn't know of that.  
  
“If you think there's something there, then clearly you don't. She's my royal charge. You go hard on her and I give her the soft touch, and between us we keep her in line, and that's all.”  
  
“Yes, it's that 'soft touch' I worry about. I've heard rumors.”  
  
“When you hear the rumors about the Prophet and Queen Zeal, is Dalton watching or does he join in?”  
  
“What insolence. There are no rumors, the servants know I'd cut the tongues from their stupid heads!”  
  
“So they run their mouths about Schala and I instead because it's all they can get away with. I'm not popular outside this room in case you didn't know.” Zeal smirked in concession.  
  
“No need to worry, I'll still tolerate you for your clairvoyance Prophet, and you're competent in most things. Your performance under the Mammon Machine was pathetic though. I don't think I've ever been so unsatisfied. Maybe you need to rest too.” Magus groaned at the jab at his manhood, he'd have to make up for it and now might be a good time. He took off his cloak and placed it on a chair and went to his mother. Her eyes were cool now and he slid behind her as easily as a snake and put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
“I'm sorry for that. I've been neglecting you your Majesty, I haven't been nearly as attentive as I should be. Maybe we could share some wine tonight and watch the moon come out. There doesn't have to be any sex.”  
  
“Hmph, so you come to me when you want sex and you go to my daughter when you want a relationship? Now you offer me one out of pity, is that how it is?” She snapped, and Magus stifled his frustration by kissing her ear.  
  
“I thought we went over this, I want both from you, I want more between us.” Why stop lying now that he was on a roll he thought. “Maybe a private consultation at Vitreus, just the two of us?”  
  
“Maudlin drivel that won't work on me. What makes you think I have time for that nonsense? Don't pretend you're not happy with the way things are. When I get sentimental I sleep with you, and when I get horny I fuck you. I thought that's what men liked, no strings.”  
  
“The sex is great but it doesn't have to be all there is.”  
  
“If that's all there is I can discard you any time I want and it won't hurt me in the slightest.” She disengaged from his hands and then faced him with folded arms. “Was there anything else?” She was impossible and he was getting so frustrated he could barely contain it.  
  
“Have you decided about Schala?”  
  
“Back to her again? You just don't know when to quit.”  
  
“Let me ask you a question. Do you love your children?” She stared at Magus like he'd grown a second head for a few moments and then one of her eyes went bigger than the other and her mouth curled, half smirking and half snarling.  
  
“How dare you pry into my private affairs and lecture me?”  
  
“It's a simple yes or no Majesty, it's not a trick question.” Zeal glared with white hot rage, seemed to shake with it, and just when Magus was certain she would explode, she closed her eyes and smiled and her voice was demure.  
  
“Of course I love Schala. She's been cared for all her life, sheltered in the palace where she eats the finest food, wears the finest clothes and receives the finest education. She's been entrusted by me with the glorious destiny or raising our kingdom to the greatest heights. That's how much I love my daughter.” Magus tried to douse the fire that was beginning to burn inside, she was infuriating. How could she possibly call that “love”?  
  
“What about Janus?” Zeal's eyebrow quirked.  
  
“The same for him. It's a pity he's worthless, if he had any magic or importance I wouldn't have to rely on that flighty girl.” Magus forced his fist to unclench as he listened to her talk about her son, about him, like a broken piece of old furniture. No, remember why you're here he told himself.  
  
“Then if you love your children you won't run Schala into her grave and leave Janus without a sister. I'm telling you as your Prophet, that's what's in the future if you keep going this way.”  
  
“You little nothing! You stick your cock in me a few times and suddenly you think you have a say in how things run? You're a person of importance now because I say you are! Tomorrow you could be shoveling shit along with the Earthbound if I will it!” Magus was almost shivering now with anger, he didn't know what he would do if he stayed and he grabbed for his cloak on the chair. He knew it was a mistake to turn his back on her but he had lost all but the barest sliver of self control over these last months. He couldn't keep up the charade anymore.  
  
“I don't have time for this. Think about what I said.” Magus said lightly, but he felt himself twisting inside. His mother had always been vain and arrogant, but not evil, not really, but to hear her talk about her children that way! The orange dress was tight against the fever dream that was her body, her large bust rising shallowly with each breath. His anger was rising too, getting knotted up and confused with something else as his eyes flicked to her breasts and back to Zeal's flushed face. He felt hot blood rushing to his face, and down below. He wanted to see that imperious look wiped from her face. He wanted to tear the fine clothes off her body and force her smug lips around his cock and make the haughty voice trill with unbridled lust. He wanted her now, finally, he just wanted to fuck the arrogance out of her until she could only beg for more, but he got ahold of himself instead. He turned to leave, and then she grabbed him by the wrist and turned him back around to face her before slapping him so hard across his face his head rang. He felt his lips twist by themselves into a familiar vulpine smile.  
  
“You'll have all the time in the world if I send you to rot on Mount Woe! And how dare you smirk at me! Where do you get the balls to talk to me that way?”  
  
“Right here!“ He hissed, and before she could register surprise he twirled Zeal around and pushed her against a pillar. Her breath caught and her hate turned to shock as he lifted the dress to reveal the swell of her ass pushing against her violet panties. He squeezed a round cheek forcefully and began to rub his middle finger where her legs met. Zeal gasped, at a loss for words as Magus began to bring more fingers into the act.  
  
“What are you...what will you do?” She managed, and Magus slipped his fingers through the flimsy fabric in answer. Her flesh recoiled from him as he slid fingertips between the folds of her labia, which settled then yielded to his touch. His fingers found better access as he inserted one, testing and beckoning inside her. She tried to push herself away and then he adjusted his position and pinched her clit gently causing Zeal to wince. Magus moved even closer now, she was pressed against the pillar with his body against hers and she had to strain to turn and meet his eyes.  
  
“Your Majesty, I fully intend on fucking your brains out.” Her eyes were astonished as she returned his assured gaze. He grasped the cleft of her smooth ass with his remaining fingers and gave her a little lesson with his middle as it went deep inside of her until she could barely stand and her juices flowed over his hand. Her legs almost buckled and she grasped the pillar for support. She slowly slid to the floor but he only moved faster within her, prodding and tantalizing her soft pussy. Magus let her get unsteadily to her feet before he gave her his finger again up until the knuckle and she gasped.  
  
“But you never took control b-before!” Zeal shuddered and began to make coquettish squeals until he turned her face to his and shut her up with a hard kiss, pushing his tongue deep inside her mouth until her supple tongue wound against his in response. Undoing his breaches, Magus placed her manicured hand on his stiff manhood. The red nailed fingers seemed startled before beginning to slowly stroke, unsure of themselves.  
  
“I've never seen you so hard Prophet! I haven't even cast the magic yet.”  
  
“I don't need it. This time, I teach the lesson.” Magus grinned, showing her his fang-like canines, and reveled in her widening eyes. Her expression was surprised, nervous, and lusty.  This time he would show her not the Prophet, but what Magus could do. He grasped a handful of Zeal's cyan locks in his hand and kissed her passionately, and his mother melted against him, compliant. He intended on fully enjoying the reversal.  
  
“Now my 'Queen', he said, teasing the word, “I want you to lick this.” He pulled her hair gently to his shaft and she went where Magus led her.  
  
A minute later, they were naked, and his mother was on her knees before him, but not in the way he'd dreamed of for so many years. Zeal was tonguing and sucking on his balls as the slim fingers fondled his stroked his cock. Magus had never had her this way, and he ran his hands through her thick crown of blue hair again and again and guided her mouth as she enveloped him, fully enjoying the blowjob without reservation. He wasn't sure he had ever been this erect before, even with the magic. Seeing the head of his cock disappear between her regal lips as the obedient eyes sought his approval thrilled him. “Who's worthless now?” He thought, pushing Zeal's head down as he thrust in time. Having reached what he felt was the very depths of depravity, he admitted to himself that he wanted her badly, to humiliate her the way she had always humiliated him. They had been doing it against his will for so long now, but this time he would lead, and it felt great.  
  
When he was ready for more he led her to the chair, where he sat down and insolently leered at her body. For her part she looked unsure of herself and crossed her arms below her breasts.  
  
“I want to revisit that first night. Stick your ass out and tease me again.”  
  
“What if I don't want to?” She sniffed.  
  
“Then you'll miss out on my best technique. I was going to let you have a taste of this if you were good.” Magus spread his hands before his taut body. “Now that we understand each other I'll do what I wanted to that night.” His cock throbbed expectantly before her and she blushed.  
  
Zeal came to him hesitantly, and began to grind her bare slit against his hard rod. As she bent her knees her buns bounced and jiggled around, caressing the sides of his cock. Only this time there were no panties. With barely a motion he penetrated her silk softness, eliciting a loud surprised cry. She started to move but Magus pulled her firmly onto his lap and teased her with short rapid thrusts. He stopped moving and his mother's moan turned to one of disappointment.  
  
“Say you want it.”  
  
“I want it!”  
  
“What is it you want?” He gave her just the head and she tried to take more of him but he wouldn't allow her to move.  
  
“Please, give it to me now! I want your hot cock inside me.”  
  
“Such a good girl.” He smirked and Zeal cried as he let her feel his full length, impaling her on his pillar. He sighed as she came to rest on his balls and for awhile he sat her in his lap, letting her wet walls clench his hard shaft. They kissed as he played with her heavy orbs and pinched both nipples before squeezing them together and sinking his fingers into their soft flesh. Now that he was no longer hung up on morality, he conceded that her tits were extraordinary, and delicious. Summoning his strength he picked her up by her legs and she held onto his neck for dear life as he carried her to the bed.  
  
“On your hands and knees.” He murmured and she complied, her face had a red blush that was spreading to the rest of her body. He spread her folds and eased his cock into her to the base, before plunging in deeper than he'd ever been.  
  
“Oh Gods! You're so deep, your cock is so good! Fuck me, please! Fuck your Queen!” Her tits hung like rockets, leaning forward he squeezed an enormous breast with one hand and steadied himself with the other as he drilled into her. Magus channeled all his contempt and frustration with her into every thrust and concentrated on punishing her and taking his pleasure.  
  
“Do you like this?”  
  
“Oh yes, yes!”  
  
“You're just my plaything aren't you?” She looked back at him with her sly green eyes half lidded and her lips pursed in a small secret smile, and she began to buck against him deliberately. No, she wasn't taking control again, this time he would tame her. He stuffed Zeal full of his cock again, teasing her with each inch, then withdrawing ever so slightly, again and again. She seemed panicked.  
  
“More, I want more!”  
  
“Tell me what you want.” He sneered, and slapped her ass cheek.  
  
“I want you to use my body, I want you to abuse me.” She said meekly.  
  
“Then I'll play with my toy some more.” Magus rewarded her honesty with a rapid series of pumps until her cries of “More” turned from words into animal noises of lust. Zeal's groans and whimpers of pleasure became the only sound besides her son's balls slapping rhythmically against her as he pounded her hard.  
  
“You're so good! Please split my pussy wide open!” He lifted her leg and rammed into her relentlessly and as she quivered around his shaft, before coming into her forcefully, filling her up with hot seed. She spasmed against him and pressed her ass firmly into this thighs, taking it all before he finally withdrew.  
  
She lay crushed into the bedspread, the mountains of her breasts still tempting after that marathon session, and he took a moment to catch his breath. Her gasping breathing tapered off into a smug little smile that played across her lips. When she saw he was winded, she took his cock in her mouth and began to suck him off again. Very well he thought, I'm not finished either. They went all over the room. Magus fucked Zeal on her silken bedspread, pumping her from the side as she arched against him and gave herself over to his lust. She rode him in the chair, her long legs spread wide over his, bouncing on her toes and pounding down on his member as he played with her voluptuous tits. He lifted Zeal up, still inside of her and sat her on the edge of her desk and the spell broke for a moment.  
  
“No, wait! My edicts!” She cried before he shoved the whole pile roughly off the desk. She began to scowl and say something before Magus drove into her and sharp tone changed to a girlish cry. Her eyes closed and she gripped the edge of the desk as he pounded her with renewed vigor, driving between the milky thighs and sucking on the nipples. Zeal arms wrapped around his back and she bit his shoulder as her insides gripped his cock. He spilled inside of her again and felt her twitch in response, she was full of his seed now and was so slick it was like fucking a pool of water but he still needed release. He kissed her and her hand crept down and massaged his reddened shaft.  
  
“Prophet, how can you go on? I'm starting to chaff.”  
  
“Lean over the desk and I'll give you something new.”  
  
“What do you mean?” She asked and he grinned again as her curves loomed before him. Grasping her cheeks, he spread them and began to rub himself between her and she moaned. Her lips down there were still hot and open like her luscious mouth, but he was focused on the pursed anus above. She felt the head of his cock pushing against her and looked back at him panicked.  
  
“No, not there! Stop, I won't allow-” She tried to resist but Magus was still very slick and he squeezed into her as Zeal's voice became a guttural groan. It was tough, like trying to squeeze a cucumber through a keyhole but he was unhinged with desire. He managed to get the entire head and another inch in and thrust into her gently, letting her get used to the foreign sensation, each stroke going a little deeper and her groan took on a hungry quality as she squirmed.  
  
“How, how dare you?” She cried and he pulled her a little wider and managed to give her another inch. “Oh! Oh no! Oh!” Each thrust was punctuated by another piercing cry and her voice peaked and dipped as he moved. Magus managed to get two more inches as she loosened and Zeal began to move her hips against his pelvis.  
  
“Have you ever done this before?” He breathed into her ear as he nibbled.  
  
“N-never!”  
  
“Do you like it?” Zeal was quiet and he reached down between them and stuck two fingers inside of her pussy in time with his thrust. “Do you?”  
  
“Yes! I like it!” He rubbed his fingers against her walls in response, he could actually feel himself stroking against them from her other hole as he slid into her. “Yes, fuck me with both your cocks!” She cried and Magus pumped both faster. He couldn't get completely inside her, she was too narrow there, but there was no mistaking the pleasure in her voice. Magus watch his mother's ass as it rippled against each thrust, felt her bucking against him even as his fingers quickened. She was soaked, overflowing, and gasping a continuous cry of mindless pleasure. Magus thought of what he was doing to the Queen of Zeal herself, and it was too much to contain, he pulled her against him and emptied his balls inside her tight anus as they both cried in unison. Zeal convulsed and quivered before laying her head down on the desk and Magus sighed in deep relief as he lay against her back. He felt completely drained and strangely proud that he had pushed her to a new level of perversion. He pulled out of his mother with a soft pop and turned her head to kiss her, but gently now.  
  
“Please Prophet...no more. I have to lay down.”  
  
“I'll carry you to bed.” He murmured as he picked her up. She wrapped her around his neck and looked at him with a softening expression as he carried her to the canopied bed and he gave another small kiss in return. Magus still hated her and what they had just done was only a weird combination of lust and fury but that had all been released when he came inside her. It felt like had exorcised whatever evil was inside him for the moment. He laid Zeal down on the bed and took a moment to admire the beautiful, sweat glistened body and the carefully teased hair that now spilled out in every direction before laying down beside her. His mother nestled against him and they lay side by side staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes, just to trying to catch their breath back.  
  
“Do you still think someone else is getting my best?” He asked and Zeal shook her head side to side on the pillow.  
  
“No one's ever done that to me before.” She said, and her voice was somewhere between awe and indignation.  
  
“Did you really like it?” He asked, pinching her ass softly and she squealed and then gave him an annoyed look.  
  
“Yes.” She was silent for a minute. “It was embarrassing.”  
  
“There's nothing to be embarrassed about. A woman like you should keep things interesting and experience pleasure without limits.”  
  
“Maybe I had you figured wrong Prophet. Every time I start to get bored you find a way to surprise me. Promise me you'll fuck me like that again.”  
  
“That way?”  
  
“All of them. You were like a demon, I should make you angry more often.”  
  
“Everything in moderation your Majesty.”  
  
“Oh Gods.” She sighed in pleasure, kissing his neck. “It was all good. After that you can call me Verena.”  
  
“Alright...Verena then. When we're alone.” Magus kissed her again and closed his eyes so she couldn't see them. He hadn't used her first name in decades, like everyone else he long ago stopped thinking of her as a person. She was the tyrannical ruler of the most powerful civilization in history. Her role as his mother had always been an afterthought, especially now as she lay entangled with him. What was he feeling? It wasn't love now, or even lust, but a kind of wistfulness for what might have been if her soul didn't belong to Lavos. She broke the kiss and rolled over to face the wall, speaking in a reflective tone he'd never heard.  
  
“Perhaps I was...hasty with my words. Maybe after we've achieved immorality I would consider a relationship with you. Forever can be a long time. I always have be like stone, for the kingdom, so it's difficult to be soft even around loved ones.” Magus stroked her shoulder lightly, thinking. It was the closest thing to an apology he'd ever heard from her lips.  
  
“The sex is good but wouldn't you like to have more moments like this afterwards? You don't have to put a show on for me your Maj-...I mean Verena.”  
  
“I've been burned before. By that man who looked a lot like you. My husband had been dead for a year, Schala was growing up and I was getting older. I thought he wanted me for me. Oh I felt so alive, it felt like I was getting a second chance at life.” Her voice sharpened slightly, took back some of it's imperious edge. “It turns out he was just using me for my position, he moved on to younger women once the novelty wore off. For sex, as if I couldn't give him that. So when I'm with you, it's bittersweet. You make me feel young and sexy again. When I'm punishing you, I'm also punishing him. But you're not him. He tried to have me from the start and you always tried to fight me off. Till now.”  
  
Zeal turned and kissed her son deeply and Magus returned it as their lips shifted against each other for dominance. Underneath the rich crown of her blue hair he could see her as she must have been when she was younger. So much of Schala's beauty had come from her, but the cruelty etched into his own features was also written all across her face. He writhed against his mother as their hands explored each others bodies and for a few more minutes he lost himself. Magus tried to think of her as Verena, as his mother, as his lover. He tried to think of a future with her, any sort of future where she would turn away from Lavos, and couldn't. Instead, he could only think of the statue's head rolling on the floor, the calmly arrogant smile still on it's lips. It was the last time he slept with Zeal before the end.  
  
  
The next few days were a blur for Magus. He was kept busy pouring over work schedules and blue prints he barely understood. He thought of himself as a man who could master anything but it was dry, soul-crushingly dull work. Even Zeal left him alone for the time being, busy as she was there were no night time visits or day time "consultations", but she still crept into his thoughts. During odd moments he would remember being inside her and her confession in that strange moment of tenderness after.  
  
Then there was Schala. If she had been overworked before, the strain of the new schedule must have unbearable. Outside of court Magus almost never saw her, she couldn't even make time for Janus. He tried to pick up the slack with the boy where he could but he was a poor substitute and soon the Prince was lashing out at servants and furniture and it seemed better to just leave him alone. When Magus did see Schala her expression was lifeless and washed out, but she did her duties with a grim determination. If her suffering bought the lives of some Earthbound she had never met she considered it a bargain. There were the few moments when he would see her in the hall, and it was then that she would seem to come back to life briefly and her beaming smile would break through.  
  
To Magus it was like an angel and a devil sitting on each shoulder. On one, Schala with her gentleness and understanding, and on the other, Zeal, damaged beyond repair and dripping sex. He was linked inescapably by blood and Lavos to the two women. Progress was proceeding at breakneck speed, and Magus was hurtling inexorably to his final fate, whatever that may be, when Mount Woe crashed into the sea. Magus had thought Schala had finally given up on him, and opposing their mother, but he was wrong on both counts...  
  
  
  
_Another long month. First off, I want to say thanks to everyone who left comments/reviews. I was really starting to flag after chapter 4, thought of even giving this up that's how tired I was, but the encouragement put the pep back in my step. Outside of the sex I hadn't planned for Zeal to have a big part here. Considering the whole story started with her and it's been a Schala glut the last few chapters, thought she should get some exposition. Magus hates her, but especially with all the sex I thought he'd be a little conflicted by now. Yeah, the scythe scene drove up the word count, but I had room and it was fun to write, I also got to use the dropped Janus' father subplot in there a little._  
  
_Next chapter: The last, no kidding, no backsies, final chapter, and how would I sum it up after 4 chapters of build up? **SCHALA!** The kingdom of Zeal ends not with a whimper, but with a “bang”_


	7. Confession

Chapter 7 Confession  
  
_Butthead: This is it Beavis. We're finally gonna score.  
Beavis: Thank God!_  
  
  
Less than a dozen officials met in the war room that secretly convened in the wake of Mount Woe's fall, among them Magus, Dalton, and Queen Zeal. They didn't dare to hold an open court. Everyone outside the room already knew Mount Woe had fallen but not why just yet. The atmosphere was tense and claustrophobic as everyone waited for the axe to drop, it was only a question of who the unlucky scapegoat would be. Dalton was trying his hardest to ensure it fell on someone else.  
  
“Over a hundred C-class engineered beasts confirmed lost! Giga Gaea gone! The whole mount so much rubble! Melchior running around fomenting a rebellion as we speak!” Dalton was red faced as he punctuated each sentence by pounding the table. “Did the Prophet see this catastrophe? No! Or maybe he knew and kept that information to himself! I tell you Majesty he knows, it was those same three from before!”  
  
Queen Zeal had been strangely calm during the meeting but this only increased everyone's nervousness. In response to the stream of failures assaulting her left ear she did nothing more than gracefully extend a hand in invitation to Magus to answer. Magus wasn't sure if it was shock or some side effect of her over-exposure to Lavos' energy, but he didn't want her exploding now. He mentally discarded a few choices insults like bad cards until he had a hand he could live with as the simmering general waited for Magus to tear into him.  
  
“You're right Dalton.” There was a low murmur of surprise in the room and Dalton's good eye narrowed. “That I should have forseen this. I didn't and I can make no excuse. I have no love for those rebels who want to deny Zeal's glorious destiny and I would gladly see them dead. For whatever reason, none of this was revealed to me, otherwise I would have recommended better security.”  
  
“You pompous twerp!” Dalton yelled, and Magus struggled not to blink as the man's breath hit him. “There was nothing wrong with security! We were prepared for assault by an army, not by three freaks!” Magus held up a placating hand. Just this once, he needed Dalton on his side, or at least off of his ass.  
  
“I agree. If there's fault, we both share it, but what's done is done, and we won't make the same mistake twice.”  
  
“What are we doing about that?” Zeal asked. She might have been inquiring about dinner and Dalton ran both hands through his hair like a bird preening ruffled feathers.  
  
“We're saying the levitation spell weakened and detaining anyone who might talk. All critical installations are locked down and we're quietly sweeping for Melchior and the rest. I've got a mixed battalion of soldiers and B-class beasts guarding the Ocean Palace, plus the automated defenses.”  
  
“Post two.” Zeal said serenely, and turned back to Magus. “Do you foresee any difficulty?” He shook his head. If the three strangers could break through all that, the kingdom really deserved to fall. “Good. Well there's no cause for alarm, this changes nothing.” Zeal's odd smile only widened at Dalton's bewildered scowl. “ Tomorrow is the day of ascension, after that, who cares about Mount Woe and a few buzzing gnats? There's just one more day between us and immortality. Once we have that, the rebels won't matter in the least.”  
  
  
  
  
  
Magus was glad to be free of the oppressive room, one way or another, this would all be over with soon. Schala had not been at the meeting though, she was resting in her room, preparing for tomorrow's event. Magus was just thinking of going to check on her when he heard a voice.  
  
“Prophet.” He turned to see a servant girl beckoning him. Her yellow blouse and tricornered cap pulled down tightly over purple hair marked her as a royal attendant. “Mistress Schala wishes to meet with you immediately.” The girl looked this way and that before leaning in. “Privately.”  
  
“Where?”  
  
“Down the hall in the music room. I'll take you there.” As Magus followed he caught himself admiring her comely figure as she walked ahead of him. Hints of her perfume wafted back to him and her hips swayed back and forth mesmerically as he enjoyed the view. She had a great ass. He rolled his eyes at himself, his mind was always in the gutter now. Her voice was deep and had a quasi-lesbian quality but she was a gorgeous creature and she used makeup to full effect with smoky eyeshadow over thick lashes and a purple gloss that brought out the inviting lips. Magus had never seen the girl before and he was sure he would remember a beauty like her, but there was something naggingly familiar about her.  
  
He followed her into the sunlit music room, it was empty except the neglected instruments that were starting to lose their luster under a film of dust. The girl locked the door behind them and turned to Magus with a ghost of a smile.  
  
“When's Schala coming?” The girl's smiled widened, her eyes amused.  
  
“She'll be here soon.”  
  
“She'd better for your sake.”  
  
“You can be quite scary when you want to Prophet.” The girl replied in her tenor voice, but she didn't look scared, the smile was practically splitting her face now. There was something really familiar about it and as Magus peered closer at the girl she burst out laughing. He recognized the laugh.  
  
“Is that you Schala?” She put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.  
  
“Yes, it's me. I knew my disguise was good, I really had you going.”  
  
“What in the hell is this?”  
  
“I'm getting out of the palace. I'm making my move and I want you to come with me.”  
  
“What move, where?” He asked waspishly. This was one thing too many for him.  
  
“To Algetty. I'm sure you heard Mount Woe fell. That means someone actually beat Giga Gaea! Three someones is what they say. Who does that sound like?” She smiled with calm superiority, her eyes did the job or rubbing it in. “Hundreds of dissidents escaped, including Melchior!”  
  
“Schala, let's talk this over.”  
  
“I'm not here to talk it over, I'm telling you what's happening. I'm really short on time, I'm leaving in 10 minutes, I'm going to grab my bag and then I'm gone. I'm going to stop at Adlucinor and rest before I go through the Skyway tonight.”  
  
“Adlucinor?”  
  
“It's a villa near the foot of the waterfall.”  
  
“Schala, it's ridiculous, they've got you under a lens. They'll miss you tonight.”  
  
“Not if I'm fast. I'm good friends with the maids, they'll cover for me. I'm still crying my eyes out into my pillow as far as mother knows.” Magus licked his lips, he didn't remember Schala doing any of this as a kid.  
  
“They'll catch you at the Skyway.”  
  
“I've got a friend there too. I'll go when he comes on shift and he'll wave us through.”  
  
“They'll use Janus to get to you!”  
  
“He's in Enhasa right now, we'll pick him up on the way. I've got disguises for all of us.” Magus was at a loss, she had an answer to everything. Maybe it was the fact he was older than her now or that he'd so easily strung everyone else along but he'd forgotten just how clever she could be.  
  
“They'll hurt the Earthbound!” He said desperately, not that he cared about that. She shook her head sadly.  
  
“That's already happening and you know it. They've got a better chance if I start by taking one myself. I'm not doing any good blindly following mother, and neither are you. Now are you coming with me? You could stop me easily. All you'd have to do is walk out that door and tell the first person you see that I'm Princess Schala done up in a wig and all my hopes will be over for good. But I don't think you will. I'll go alone if I have to but I want...no, I need you to come with me. Please.”  
  
“You trust me that much?” She nodded and Magus felt a physical pain in his heart even as the dark, dry voice inside his mind asked him if he was really going to endanger all his work, all his planning for the idealistic dreams of a naïve girl. Dreams, it added, that had no chance of coming true. There was only the nightmare of Lavos.  
  
Except that girl was Schala, his sister.  
  
“Alright, I'll come with you, but only because I want to talk you out of this foolish plan of yours.”  
  
“Well that'll give me time to talk you into my foolish plan, won't it?” She gave him a light peck on the cheek before grabbing a large bag by the door and handing it to him. Magus shuffled through the clothing inside before gingerly pulling out a silver mask.  
  
“What's this?”  
  
“Your disguise. You stand out like a sore thumb.”  
  
“A Lasher?”  
  
“Smart right? You'll still have to pin your ears back though.”  
  
“You've really thought this through haven't you?” His voice was tinged with admiration and she blushed.  
  
“Make up some excuse, something you need to do before everybody becomes a God. Tell a maid or something so it gets back to the right people, then change and meet me outside the palace and we'll talk on the way.”  
  
  
  
  
The maids largely steered clear of Magus now, he'd been especially unfriendly to them after being spied on in the shower, but finally he flagged one down and told her to make up his room. He would be meditating in the countryside to ensure there were no unforeseen problems and would return the following day in time for the “Great Ascension” as the court was calling it. Hopefully with a prophecy confirming their success, the fools.  
  
Magus looked at himself in the mirror. Not bad. The mask completely covered his face and his hair was tied back and stuffed into his collar. He was surly by nature and the uniform also made him look stupid as well, the spitting image of one of Dalton's peons. He wondered again why he was indulging his sister. She had put him on the spot, if he couldn't convince Schala to give up her plan in a day, there would be no more time for convincing.  
  
He stepped out of the changing room and began to walk out of the palace. It felt like every servant he passed in the corridor gave him suspicious second glances, but no one stopped him. He almost froze when he saw Dalton on one of the upper levels with his lackeys but forced himself to continue walking at the same pace. Magus resisted the urge to look directly at Dalton, he was barely in his field of vision now. Magus felt Dalton's eye pass over him for a moment before going back to reading the scroll in his hands. When he met Schala by the palace outer walls he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.  
  
“So are you ready?” She flicked a strand of the purple wig out of her eye and hoisted a travel bag.  
  
“It's not too late to turn back Schala. We could go back right now and nobody would be the wiser.”  
  
“Sorry, I don't roll over that easy. Let's go.”  
  
It was warm and birds flew overhead in the azure sky of the late morning, dusted with thin clouds like vapor trails. It didn't feel like they were starting an insurrection Magus thought. No, it reminded him of when Schala used to take him for picnics and little pretend adventures in the woods. They'd played by the waterfall before but he'd never been to this villa of hers.  
  
“You're pretty good with voices too.” He said. Schala smiled and began to sing the first two verses of the national anthem in the deep tomboy voice and Magus chuckled.  
  
“That's nothing, you want to hear my Dalton?” He nodded, and Schala made a halfwit sound while crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth. He laughed, as a grown up this stuff shouldn't work on him but she always knew how to hit his funny bone.  
  
“If it was accurate you'd use just the one eye. Say, your eyes are blue now.”  
  
“I changed it with magic. The rest is just makeup and a stage wig.”  
  
“Oh.” Magus was unsure what else to say. He still couldn't believe it took so little to make her unrecognizable. He was enjoying being out with her, but he would have to dispel her of this trip pretty soon and it wasn't going to be pretty. There were much more important things to be worrying about today. Compared to Lavos, fretting about it seemed silly but he was afraid for Schala and it weighed on him. Her plan would never, ever work. They walked for a ways until they came within sight of the waterfall that fed from Vitreus, they were halfway down the mountain. It would take longer to turn back if they kept going.  
  
“About this plan of yours. Assuming I go to Algetty with you, then what?”  
  
“Melchior and those three will surely be there. Melchior's a Guru, which means he's a genius, and we're not exactly slow ourselves. We can think of something when we get there.  
  
“When we get there? You mean you haven't thought that far ahead?” Schala turned around, she looked flustered.  
  
“I don't have a good plan yet. I need to hear what Melchior has to say and how those three came back through the portal I sealed and toppled Mount Woe. Those would be nice things to know before I decide how I'm going to upend the whole kingdom. Or did you learn anything about that during your interrogations”? Magus looked down to hide his embarrassment and then remembered he was wearing a full mask. All he had learned was that Ayla loved doggy style, Lucca liked to put her tongue in his ear and Chrono could hold his breath longer than him while going down on his mother.  
  
“They were...more for your mother's satisfaction than gathering any info.” Magus wasn't exactly eager to see the three again under any circumstances, especially with Schala in tow. They probably didn't even remember their own names after the fucking Zeal had given them, but if they maybe he could pass the whole thing off on her. “Anyways Schala, you should really consider who you're putting your faith in.”  
  
“Like you?”  
  
“No. I mean a Guru who got himself caught and sent to Mount Woe, and three blockheads who blundered right into the throne room. They're only alive now because you took a huge risk.”  
  
“Are you sure you want to bring all that up after the part you played?” He shrugged apathetically, she wouldn't get him that easily.  
  
“You know about Melchior, I had to wing it with those three. They just barged in with weapons, what was I supposed to say? 'Oh look your Majesty, my pals are here.' I also want to remind you I could have stopped you letting them loose, but I didn't. Just like I could be stopping you right now.”  
  
“That's real big of you Prophet.” Her voice had an edge, she was losing her temper, so Magus shut up. He didn't want to make her angry, he just wanted her to think things through. They fell quiet as they descended the mountain, several times he wanted to break the silence, but he wouldn't apologize. Melchior, Chrono and the rest owed their freedom to Schala, someone who needed rescuing like that was too weak to rely on.  
  
Around mid afternoon they came in sight of Adlucinor. It sat across the lake where the waterfall emptied, a large multi story villa of white stone with a sweeping golden roof. It was shaded under giant trees that dwarfed the villa, some growing stubbornly out of the mountain itself. As they got closer Magus could see people coming and going through it's large elaborate archway They walked through and across the wine colored carpeting and marble floors.  
  
“What kind of place is this Schala?”  
  
“It's a resort. Just let me do the talking.” She walked up to the deskman and Magus trailed her uncertainly.  
  
“Reservation for Sonia and Cyril.” She said in the deep voice. The man glanced at the pretty attendant and the tall Lasher behind her and raised a pencil thin eyebrow before checking his register.  
  
“Yes, the Princess Suite right?” Schala grinned knowingly back at Magus who shifted uncomfortably. “Just the one night then?”  
  
“Yes, unless you think we should book more darling?” The clerk and Schala looked at him and Magus flushed to his roots, grateful for the mask. He cleared his throat, trying his best to sound upbeat.  
  
“I think one will be enough...honey.” Schala winked at him and turned to finish up her business with the clerk as Magus tried not to look as nervous as he felt. He and Schala were both public figures and even though the disguises were good he couldn't shake the fear they would be recognized. If anyone even suspected they were checking into an inn under assumed names that would be enough for Zeal to cut his cock off. As they walked away Schala clung to his arm and lay her head against his shoulder.  
  
“What the hell?” Schala gestured at the deskman with her eyes.  
  
“Newlyweds.” She whispered, and then loudly: “Come on honey, let's see the room!” They climbed two flights of plush stairs until they reached the suite on the third floor. It was a well appointed room set in white and gold, with a large bed canopied in lace. The balcony opened onto a view of the glittering lake, outside the afternoon sun, the bustle of guests and the scent of freshly cut grass wafted in. It all made Magus tired, it had been a long walk down the mountain.  
  
“It looks expensive.” He tossed his mask on the bed, glad to have the damned thing off his face finally and checked the rest of the room. On one night stand an elaborate flower arrangement, on the other a basket of fresh fruit. There was a stately bathroom with a tub big enough for two sunken into the stone, the water already drawn and small wisps of steam rising from it.  
  
“Can't take it with you.” Schala said and smelled the flowers. “It's still not the nicest they have though, didn't want to draw too much attention.”  
  
“I notice there's only one bed.”  
  
“It's not like we haven't been in a bed together before.” Her smile faltered a little at his look. “There's a couch...”  
  
“Schala.”  
  
“Let's just rest for a little bit, then we can get something to eat. We'll talk once I get some real food, I promise. Ok?” She brushed the purple hair away and lay down on the bed, her head slumping back. Magus didn't have long to talk her out of this ill thought plan of hers and she wanted to vacation! Still, she'd said she'd talk later and there was no point pestering her about it till then, so he contented himself with watching her from the couch. He couldn't get over how different Schala looked in her disguise, he had to keep reminding himself she was his sister. Not that she wasn't always beautiful before, but now that she looked like a different person he could appreciate her as a man. He frowned at the thought, damn it, what was the point? As if hearing his thoughts Schala sighed and opened her eyes.  
  
“It's no good, I can't sleep. They have a phenotome, do you want to watch something before dinner?”  
  
“Schala, don't you think it's time we went back? Why do we have to stay here of all places?”  
  
“You don't like it?”  
  
“It's a little suspect that you'd bring me here. What do you really want from me?”  
  
“You know what I want.” She said and Magus turned to watch the trees outside sway in the summer breeze. He didn't dare look at Schala as she got out of the bed and sat next to him. The green leaves rustled and he focused on them as if they were the most interesting thing in the world when her hands lightly found his shoulders. Magus was afraid they would wander down his arms and he didn't know what he would do if that happened.  
  
“My parents stayed here when they were first married. Ever since I was a little girl, my dream was to do the same thing one day. Now there's no time left anymore for anything. Whether we live or die this is going to be the end of an era. So I just wanted to have this one selfish day for myself before...” From behind he heard her sob and Magus turned to see a single small tear in her eye.  
  
“It'll be alright.” He said, recalling her words to him as a boy and wiping the eye, her smile breaking through again. “I'm with you.”  
  
“So does that mean you're coming?”  
  
“I'll tell you after dinner.” He replied and Schala pulled a sour face.  
  
“I guess I deserve that. Well, that's why I chose here anyhow. One more good time before the end of the world.” She said it lightly but from what Magus had seen in the last month he thought now that underneath all the optimism and patience, she really meant it. Even knowing the past and the future as he did, how could he not have seen what Schala had been going through? Had she really been carrying on all these years, helping their mother, knowing in her heart that the hunger of Lavos that touched her mind really meant to devour her and everything she cared for? Had she always known she was destined to die so young with so many things left undone? Maybe she had.  
  
Magus took her hand in his and squeezed reassuringly and she smiled. Her eyelids started to drop as she leaned in and for a foolish moment he thought she was falling asleep before he saw her tempting lips pursing for a kiss...  
  
“Maybe we should watch the phenotome.” He said hurriedly, and her eyes opened, disappointed. “It might ease some of this doom and gloom. What do they have?” She got up and started to flip through the large book on the table and Magus willed his flushing face to cool down.  
  
“Almost everything. How about Della and the Sea Triacam? It's one of my favorites, have you seen it?” He grinned. He'd watched it so many times with Schala as Janus he could quote every line.  
  
“No, but it sounds interesting.” Schala turned the page and sat down shoulder to shoulder with him as the aurora of changing colors coalesced in the air before them and Della's adventure played out one last time for the siblings.  
  
She fell asleep about halfway through and slumped against him. Her breathing was steady and eventually he heard the familiar snore. Magus soon lost all interest in Della in favor of watching his sister's eyes shift beneath the closed lids and the childlike, drooping mouth. He really did want to kiss it, and she was asleep anyway, she wouldn't know. The more he looked at her the better it sounded, but he stopped himself. Schala was obviously serious about her rebellion, she wouldn't put them up in a place like this just to have a shot at him, would she? He could worry on it later though.  
  
He'd been thinking things over during the last hour as Schala slumbered against him and one thought just refused to die. Her plan could never work but Magus had hit on a new one, and it was so brutally simple that it terrified him. It meant scrapping his original plan, the one he'd prepared for all along, but the feel of Schala's hair against his neck and her arm draped haphazardly over him convinced him it was the right course. Schala woke up during the last ten minutes of the story, smacking her dry lips.  
  
“What time?” She asked blearily, lifting her head. The better part of the day was gone now, and the sky outside was tinged with orange.  
  
“Just about time for dinner.”  
  
“Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to drift off like that, did you like it?”  
  
“The cuddling was splendid but I felt like the romantic subplot was tacked on.” She blushed to her roots at his wolf's grin. No, it wasn't wise to keep teasing her like that but it was hard to resist.  
  
“You'll really like their restaurant. It's very romantic, they have the best fish. Just give me a few minutes to make myself up.” She handed him the silver mask, which he took without enthusiasm. “Sorry. It's only for today.”  
  
  
  
Schala was right about the restaurant. It was a grand thing with an elaborate indoor fountain and carefully cultivated ornamental trees that twisted and grew up pillars to form a canopy overhead. Docile brightly colored birds nestled here and there the whole thing gave one the impression that they were eating in a rainforest. There were too many diners for Magus' liking through, so they wound up eschewing the main hall for a secluded, dimly lit alcove. Schala seemed a little too happy with the choice and there was a sparkle in her eyes Magus didn't care for. The waiter lit a candle jar in the center of the table and poured the wine, leaving them alone for the moment as Magus took the mask back off.  
  
“These prices are absurd. How can anyone afford to eat in this place?”  
  
“This is a year of royal allowance we'll be eating right here, so you'd better enjoy it!” Schala sipped the wine, and toasted him.  
  
“It's exorbitant, I never figured you for the type.” He returned her toast, the wine was very dry and she swished the glass, patches of warmth starting to form in her cheeks.  
  
“I'm not, but this is a special occasion. It's my farewell to this place.” Her hand crept along the table and found his. “I'm glad I have someone to spend it with.” The waiter came back with their order and for awhile they worked on the elegantly presented food. The Mlien fish in lemon was rare and rich and the better part of Zeal would never have an opportunity to taste it. He'd never had Mlien fish in the future, perhaps like so many things they'd gone extinct.  
  
“Can we talk now?” He asked seriously and Schala poured them both another glass of wine without smiling. They'd finished the better part of the meal now and Magus didn't want to spoil the mood for her but time was short.  
  
“I guess we better. What's on your mind?”  
  
“Once we talk to Melchior, what do you think he'll advise?” She gave him a cautious look at the odd question, but he'd learned not to back her into a corner on the way down.  
  
“I have no idea.”  
  
“Guess then. If you were Melchior, what would you say?”  
  
“Well...I'd say we sabotage the Mammon Machine. Destroy it if we could.”  
  
“Even though it's so well guarded?”  
  
“I would have to be there of course, and you as well. Maybe you could sneak the strangers in somehow, and once we've trashed the machine we could take my mother and Dalton prisoner.” He must have looked unimpressed because she shrugged. “I'm sure Melchior would come up with something better, you're putting me on the spot.” He nodded and drank half his wine at a draught to steel himself.  
  
“Just suppose I've got another plan.”  
  
“I'm all ears.”  
  
“We kill your mother and Dalton.” Schala stared back, her face frozen.  
  
“You told me that wouldn't work, and I'm not about to do that now.”  
  
“It wouldn't work, not with you taking over in a coup. Like I said, it might if you were really ruthless, but you're not.”  
  
“Then what's your-”  
  
“Now if it was the Prophet that's a different story isn't it? A drifter that the Queen took into her inner circle, he always did seem a little off. Maybe Zeal was getting ready to kick him out, maybe he got a vision he didn't like, or maybe he was just waiting for an unguarded moment all along. So he kills the Queen and Dalton when they're alone together and disappears. Maybe screams something crazy about how he was carrying out Lavos' will for effect.” Schala's mouth was pursed so tight her lips were bloodless as Magus casually detailed the assassination. The tale spun itself naturally, he didn't even have to stop and think on it. In the Middle Ages this kind of plot would have made him yawn.  
  
“How could you? Do you realize you're talking about the woman who gave birth to me?”  
  
“I'm talking about the woman who's bringing calamity down on everyone's head, you said so yourself. That's why you wanted me to help you overthrow your mother, remember?” Schala said nothing, she had said those exact words after all.  
  
“So the princess becomes the legitimate ruler by succession. She issues a few decrees, dismantles the kingdom's reliance on Lavos, bans further research on him. Some people aren't happy, but without Dalton the only one's left to grumble are pissants that can be dealt with. The pipe dream of immortality fades with Zeal and Dalton.” Schala clapped slowly and sarcastically.  
  
“If I were one of them, I'd suspect you working for me. Everybody knows I oppose mother.”  
  
“That Prophet always hung around Schala, but he was the Queen's favorite first. He probably wanted to do away with the whole royal family in the bargain, we're just lucky there's still an heir.” Magus saw her eyes were welling up as she actually considered it. The soothing rush of water from the fountain and the cooing birds above them were the only sound as she weighed his words. He wouldn't bully her, she would have to make this decision on her own.  
  
“What happens to the Prophet?”  
  
“He flees back whence he came, never seen again. Nobody ever got a good look at him underneath his hood after all. After the tragic loss, the kingdom of Zeal never flirts with disaster again and everyone else lives happily ever after. The end.”  
  
“It's a nice, neat, cynical little story isn't it? You missed your calling writing thrillers.” He had another sip of wine, he knew she didn't like hearing it but he'd made his point. To some people he was a warlock, others a king, and all of them thought he was a vicious bastard. He was all those things, and whatever the situation called for, but what he really thought of himself as was a problem solver. Like most things, violence would solve this problem too.  
  
“You read those histories, you know this is the only way that works.”  
  
“Do you really think you could kill them?” She asked, searching his eyes. Magus remembered cutting through the statue, how he had felt conflicting feelings of satisfaction and a dull creeping horror seeing his mother's stone head roll. They would be expecting magic so he would use the scythe, first on Dalton, and then her. It would be very quick and very bloody, like cutting chaff. Zeal might have been a good person, once when he was very young, but now she was a hateful monster and death would be no less than she deserved. He wasn't looking forward to it, but if it had to be done...Schala nodded, seeing the answer in his face.  
  
“There's a better way, and we're going to find it. That's why we go, that's why we don't drop down to their level.”  
  
“It's time to get serious and stop being so childish. I didn't come with you for dinner.”  
  
“Do you think I'm just having a good time Prophet? Because I try to put on a smile? I'm scared to death, I'm terrified that everything I feel when I commune with the Mammon Machine will come true! I'm not even sure if I'll live past tomorrow, but I'm going to live what's left on my terms with my morals intact.”  
  
“If you really want to save the world, you can't screw around like this with half measures. If you believe thousands of lives are on the line, including your own, then you should do whatever it takes.  You don't even have to bloody your own hands, just step aside and let me-”  
  
“No.” She said, her voice falling with the finality of a guillotine. The candle between them flickered this way and that, as if torn between them and Magus finished his wine.  
  
“The other option is you let me destroy Lavos myself. If we're taking the high road.”  
  
“Now who's being wishful?” She asked and Magus bit his tongue. At least it had a chance of succeeding he thought petulantly. He had given her the best option there was and if she couldn't see that then maybe it was time to take the choice out of her hands. Schala had never been part of his plans before, why should she have such a say now? It had been weak of him to get so distracted by her, to the point where he'd gone along on this getaway and was even letting his sister stifle him like he was a kid again!  
  
The conversation had died violently and by the end of their awkwardly silent meal Magus had resolved to steal away in the night and do what needed to be done. For Schala he told himself. Perhaps he could even kill Lavos later on his own terms. He was just thinking of an excuse to make to slip away when her hand stole underneath the table and touched his leg.  
  
“I'm sorry Prophet. I don't mean to get so defensive with you, I appreciate you coming this far with me. I just, I mean...” Her face pleaded with him. “It's so stressful. If it was just me alone I don't think I could handle it, I'd walk right outside and throw myself into the lake then have to deal with what's coming.” Magus put his hand over hers, angry at himself for being angry with her again at all. “Let me ask you something serious Prophet, and please tell me the truth. Can you really see the future?” He hesitated, and settled for another half truth.  
  
“Some of it, not everything.”  
  
“What if we did things your way?”  
  
“Things will play out pretty much as I said. I don't know for certain but I know human nature.”  
  
“And mine?”  
  
“I wouldn't bet money on your odds.”  
  
“Well what do you know for certain then?”  
  
“I know what will happen if we do nothing.” She started to speak and he gripped her shoulder. “Don't worry, I'm not going to stand aside quietly for Lavos no matter what.” She sighed, dejected.  
  
“Let's just go back upstairs before I collapse and I'll think on it, this took alot out of me.”  
  
  
  
  
The light was beginning to fade from the bruised purple sky and a pleasant evening breeze kissed Magus' skin from the open balcony as he flipped disinterestedly through the phenotome. Schala was taking a hot bath, since coming back she'd cheered up a bit and playfully asked if he wanted to join but he'd refused.  
  
“Can I get you anything in there?” .  
  
“No, I'm just about done.” There was a splash. “I had to wash that makeup off, it was really starting to irritate my skin.”  
  
“How do you feel now?”  
  
“A thousand times better, I really needed this. Hey, can you hand me a towel?”  
  
“There's one in there.”  
  
“Yeah, it's on the other side, but I don't want to slip and break my neck!” Magus rolled his eyes and grabbed a fresh towel before reluctantly stepping in the bathroom. Schala sat alone and conspicuous in the huge tub, looking like herself again, her long cyan hair wet and plastered against her shoulders. Mercifully the bubbling water and steam obscured her breasts, he didn't let his eyes linger on his sister but instead looked away and tossed the towel near the edge of the tub.  
  
“Thanks.” He half expected her to stand up and flash him but instead she just paddled to the edge of the tub, leaning over it on her elbows. “You're a gentleman for not peeking you know. Lots of guys would have tried.”  
  
“Is there anything else you needed?” He asked as he counted the tiles on the wall. He was up to 64 now.  
  
“No, I'll be out in a bit.”  
  
The light outside was almost completely gone by the time Schala emerged from the bathroom. Magus was leaning out over the balcony watching the last rays slip away and Schala came up alongside him. She was wearing a long, pink silk nightgown but he'd seen her in it as a boy so it didn't bother him. At this height in the dark nobody could see them anyway.  
  
“It's a different kind of sunset isn't it? Knowing it might be the last.” She mused, and Magus' glanced at her, but she was watching the horizon. He had been thinking just that. The air teased their long hair and he took a deep breath of it, holding it in. Schala was wearing a scent like wisteria, combined with the trees outside it made him think of the palace gardens at night.  
  
“It doesn't have to be though. Did you decide on my...proposal?”  
  
“I did.” She smiled sadly and shook her head. “We do things my way. If you can't come along with me I'll understand, but at least I'll have a friend on the inside. Still if I had you by my side I think I could face anything.” Schala leaned her head against his shoulder and they stood that way awhile, until the lake had become black with a few jewel like stars shining overhead. Tresses of her blue hair spilled against him and her hand squeezed his other arm gently. “Are you coming with me?”  
  
“Yes.” Magus lied, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. He wasn't about to let her put herself in any more danger than she already had. Maybe Schala could live with sacrificing herself on the altar of her principals, but he couldn't. He'd wait until she was asleep and slip away. His mother and Dalton could be dead before midnight, before Schala had a chance to raise any alarm. If it happened before she had a chance to slip through the Skygate it would look less suspicious. His sister would become the Queen and then Magus would simply vanish, maybe reinventing himself in a new identity as he had before. He realized that even under the best case he probably wouldn't see his sister again and held her closer. He hadn't noticed when his arm had wrapped around her back and she sighed.  
  
“I'm really glad then. Do you think you could tell me your real name now?” He quirked an eyebrow at her guileless face, there was something in her eyes this time.  
  
“It's...Magus.” He waited for her to laugh or grimace, but she simply gave him that smile she had when she was truly happy.  
  
“It's a little strange, but it suits you. I finally know what to call you.” Her hand crept up and brushed his cheek. “Don't worry, I won't tell anyone.”  
  
“It's the name my people gave me.” Magus replied a bit embarassed as much by the admission as her touching him. “It's getting late, you should go to sleep.” And when you wake up, you won't know it, but I'll have solved your problems. Both of them.  
  
“Mmmm. Come to bed.”  
  
“I won't keep you up. I'm just going to read a little and then I'll make up the couch.” She took both his hands as the green eyes gazed up at him.  
  
“That's not what I meant. I want you...to come with me...to bed.” She intoned patiently without being condescending, teasing each word and giving it double meaning. He tilted his head, puzzled, but he knew what she really meant.  
  
“You don't have to offer me that again Schala, I'm happy to help you.”  
  
“I know, but I want to. Magus I love you.” His heart stopped, it felt like the blood pumping it turned to stone as the shock of her words set in. He looked into her face and saw she was serious, Schala wouldn't say something like that without meaning it. She inched closer as her hands moved to his shoulders but he held her away, just barely. “You don't have to say it back.” Her hands caressed his arms tenderly. “I just wanted to let you know how I feel.”  
  
“Schala, you can't. You don't know me.”  
  
“I thought for a long time that's what love is. It's this perfect understanding between two people, a perfect affection, but life is never perfect. I care for you, I want to be with you always, and I don't pretend to understand why, I've just felt that for so long around you.” She moved closer until they were practically holding eachother. Without thinking his hands dropped to her waist and hers encircled his neck. Her mouth was so close, he only needed to tilt his head a little to meet it.  
  
“Schala, I just can't.”  
  
“You're always holding back around me, but there's some things you just can't hide. Like the love in your eyes now.” Magus shut them tightly and looked away and she gently turned his face back to her. “It's nothing to be ashamed of.”  
  
“I love you too Schala.” For a moment her face lit up so brightly he almost couldn't bring himself to say the next words. “Like a sister.” Her instantly smile caved on itself and became a struggle not to cry and he cursed himself for a selfish shit but this couldn't go further. “You need your rest. I'll take the couch.” Magus grudgingly disentangled from her arms before walking back inside and stretching out on the couch. She stood in the balcony, the gown framing her against the night sky, her face looked like she'd been told of some tragedy.  
  
“I'm sorry.” He said, and was. He had never meant to play with her feelings like this, all he had ever wanted was to be near her and protect her the way she had always protected him. The couch was too small for him but he closed his eyes anyway. A few tense minutes passed as he waited for sobbing, or cursing, or maybe a thrown vase, but all he finally heard was the soft pad of Schala's bare feet on the floor and the slight creak as she climbed into the large bed. Magus breathed a soft sigh of relief, he only had to wait for her to fall asleep now.  
  
  
  
He was more tired than he thought, because Magus fell asleep on the uncomfortable couch waiting for Schala to drop off. Wisteria tickled his nose and his eyes opened to see a dark, female shape hovering just above him.  
  
“Schala?” He was still half asleep when a pair of soft lips pressed gently against his as hands carefully lifted his shirt and caressed his chest in slow circles. Her hair brushed against his face, smelling like Spring rain, and her touch was like Summer lightning. The dreamlike quality receded and his eyes adjusted to the dark to see his sister looking down at him with longing. Schala was draped over him and even in the dark room he could see the earnest love in her expression. Magus became alarmed, he wouldn't be able to hold out against her if this continued. Her touch was setting his skin on fire, he was about to push her away again when she leaned down and kissed his cheek.  
  
“This might be the last night any of us have. Don't make me sleep alone again tonight. I just want to know.” She kissed his other cheek. “I just want to know. I love you Magus.” She said Magus, but what he heard was “Janus.” She was the only thing in the world he'd ever cared about other than revenge, but she'd been in his heart longer. Now they were on the eve of destruction and still he was pushing her away. How many women had spent their last night of freedom with him before being shipped back to the dungeon or worse? How could he deny his sister at least that much?  
.  
All their moments together past and present came rushing back to him and when her lips descended again he kissed her back desperately. They both made a surprised noise at the same time, muffled by the strength of the kiss before sinking and molding into one another's lips. To Magus it was the most vivid moment of his life, it actually made his knees weak. Maybe he was weak after all, but it wasn't the physical pleasure, it was everything that Schala was that sent the shockwave of pleasure rippling through his being. It didn't matter that she was his sister, or even half sister. He adored her and he needed to express it and it didn't feel wrong, there was no shame. Only the revelation of what he felt for her and the touch that had been denied so long. Her body relaxed against him and now they were entwined on the couch, their hands gliding across each other. Schala broke the kiss to pull his shirt off and then their mouths met again. Magus lost himself in the taste of his sister's tongue and her fingertips tracing whispering lines on his torso.  
  
Schala grasped his hand and guided it to a nightgown strap, and with the barest touch it fell off her shoulder. It was too dark for him to see properly so he let his hands be his eyes, feeling down her chest until he found the cool slope of her breast. Magus caressed it, cupping it in his hand, spellbound by its shape and texture. He'd been too surprised and frightened last time, beyond that he had never even thought of touching Schala's breasts again. It felt tender and pert, and he massaged it's twin in his other hand. He wondered if they tasted as good as they felt and then kissed a hard nipple, causing Schala to moan, then suckled gently and her moan deepened.  
  
“Not so hard.” She breathed and he muttered an apology even as he flicked his tongue over the point and along the delicate ring. She trembled, pressing her breasts into his face in offering, and he nuzzled between them, their placid pressure soothing pain and yearning he thought he'd buried all these years. She cradled Magus as he kissed a line down between them, running her hands through his hair.  
  
“Do you want the lights on?” She asked. Nothing mattered anymore except this moment, but if he had the choice...  
  
“I want them on, I want to see how beautiful you are.”  
  
“Stay here.” Her outline moved through the shadow to the bed, she murmured a word and the lights flickered dimly. Schala stood at the foot of the bed in her nightgown, her bare shoulders and the chest with skin like cream but color was burning her cheeks as she slid the gown down. It came slowly, bearing nipples rising like pale garnets from her faultless, pouting breasts. Magus' eyes followed the gowns slow descent as it unveiled her slim stomach, curving down to the desirable hips. The long legs shifted uncertainly but his attention was drawn to the tiny diamond of pubic hair that pointed the way between them. His sister's supple body was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, Magus could have simply drank her in forever. She leaned back against the bed and he stood up and began to undress as well. He had no idea how to be sexy with his sister now that this was finally happening but he tried to mimic her slow strip and Schala watched with eyes that roved every inch of his skin. His shorts came off last and her eyes lingered on his cock with a look like fascination. He took her into his arms, the feel of nothing between their bare bodies causing him to harden in excitement and she gasped when his hot cock touched her thigh and pulled away a little.  
  
“Have you ever been with a man before?” He asked and she looked away in embarrassment.  
  
“No. Yes. I mean, I had done it with my boyfriend before but not with a full grown...” His eyes must have shown understanding because she gave him a lingering kiss and her hand softly stroked his rod. She was a novice but her coaxing still sent waves of pleasure that prickled his skin like a cool wind. “You're so big for me. If you're gentle at first I think I'll be ok.” His hands slipped behind her waist and he kissed down her neck to the shoulder. He was secretly relieved, he didn't know if he could have handled deflowering his older sister.  
  
“Lay back on the bed and I'll taste your body.” Schala laid down and Magus spent some minutes familiarizing his hands with her tantalizing curves before grasping the hips, his face descending between her thighs. Her eyebrows knit together above the tightly shut eyes and she groaned as he touched the tip of his tongue to her slit. His tongue grazed her clit as he suckled and Schala cried out and thrust her thighs towards him enticingly. Her folds were soft, pink and delectable, warm and as sweet to his tongue as honey. She shuddered, quivered, then pulled away from his mouth.  
  
“Are you ok? Does it tickle?”  
  
“No.” She moaned. “It's just too much. Please give me more.” She begged and he took the small nub in his mouth and rolled it along his tongue as her hands gripped his head and ran through his hair. “Yes! Down there!” Magus could see her biting the nail of her thumb between the swelling peaks of her breasts, her legs writhing against his face. She looked unbearably sexy, he tried to hold himself back as he tasted her, wanting to give her not just physical pleasure but show her tenderness as well. He kissed her labia, as much in ecstasy as Schala, and she grew wetter still as her mouth twisted and her hair flew about as her head turned from side to side.  
  
“I can't take it anymore.” She breathed. “I want you now.” He rose and saw that she was looking at his hard length with mingled fear and desire.  
  
“Are you sure?” Schala nodded and her hands guided his tip to her entrance. There was a moments resistance and then she parted for him and he was inside of her. Schala went rigid, her eyes opening wide and Magus felt her clench against him, bolts of lightning arcing along his spine. It was the most intense entry of his life, the dozens of beauties he'd had, Flea, Ayla, his own mother, nothing came close. He withdrew very slowly, not wanted to hurt her, savoring her velvet walls sliding against his rod, before pushing carefully in again. This time he went a little deeper and Schala's eyes became half lidded and her lips parted in a sigh. She ran her hands along his shoulder and behind his neck and they looked at each other in wonder. All this time Magus had never known. She kissed him again and her hips bucked against him, urging him on and he began to plunge into her and they rocked back and forth. Not hard, but faster and deeper until her hair bounced with each thrust as her arms squeezed him and her legs wrapped around his tightly. Her nails were sharp, her fingers kneading into his back before slipping down and squeezing his ass. Her panting quickened and he stole what little breath she had with another kiss.  
  
“It's so hot, give it to me faster!” Her pussy was already so tight the friction was too much to bear, every nerve down there was tingling like it was about to burn out. He stroked even faster, pounding her into the bedspread as his hands slipped down, one behind her back and the other pulling him towards his thighs with each thrust. The coral areolas were larger than her mothers, the buds of her nipples begging to be sucked and Magus sampled them between his teeth, rolling them along his tongue. Schala gasped, spasming and pulled Magus into her with a vice like grip and he panicked as he reached his limit. At the last second he managed to pull out of her and his seed shot across her stomach in a line of pearls. He collapsed against her, burying his face in the blue tide of her hair. He was breathing hard and her arms encircled her brother, consoling him.  
  
“I'm sorry.” He said, thinking it couldn't have been any good for her, but joining with Schala like that had been more than just a physical release.  
  
“No, I'm sorry. I know I don't have alot of experience. How did you feel?” Schala asked shyly.  
  
“There's no words for it, it was the best sex of my life. Because I love you.” She smiled, kissed him on the nose, and her smile became a grin.  
  
“Want to go again?”  
  
  
  
  
Magus lost track of time. He knew he was supposed to be doing something else, but what? Going with Schala to the Skyway, or taking her back to the palace so they wouldn't find her missing in the morning? Ending his mother's reign in the few precious hours of existence the kingdom had left? He didn't know or care anymore. Instead he lost himself in a sea of endless bliss with Schala as the hours flew by. Hours or minutes, he couldn't tell, he only knew he didn't want this to end.  
  
Schala lay her head against him, whispering passionate words of encouragement in his ear as he thrust and their hips rolled together like smooth waves breaking between them. He was completely absorbed in her responsive moans, her sensuous lips, her florid skin. He kissed the slim neck, reaching under her arms and squeezed the young, proud breasts, they were exactly a handful. The clock ticked.  
  
Schala rode exultantly on top of Magus, pressing her breasts together, her eyes closed and a cry of pleasure with each downward thrust. She looked down at him with a luxurious smile, an echo of her mother as she toyed with him by pumping her hips faster. The clock ticked and night birds outside called as the moon rose.  
  
She arched her back, squeezing the pillow underneath her head as Magus drove into her pussy from behind. He kneaded the soft buns in his hands and kissed the slender back. Even if he didn't feel the way he did about her he thought he could safely see she had the best ass he'd ever seen. She plead with him to go faster as he filled her an inch at a time, leaning forward to turn her lips up to his.  
  
“I love you Schala, I've always loved you.” They kissed passionately and she squeezed her body back against him.  
  
“It feels great, just...leave it in for a second. I'm almost there.” She trembled along his length, slippery walls squeezing and contracting, making him tingle.  
  
“Schala, yes!”  
  
“Please fuck me!” She cried and hearing those words from his proper sister drove him over the edge and he immersed himself in her wetness, dancing inside of her again and again.  
  
“Right there, it's hitting my heart! Gods, I love you, I'm flying!” He barely made it out of her again, firing across her back and they fell back into bed, finally exhausted. With a word Schala turned the lights off and her head burrowed into the crook of his arm. The endless moment was finally broken and time started to move again for Magus as he heard the clock tick. The nightbirds outside had stopped and there was only a breeze. It felt like it was very late, past midnight. He tried to form words but for a few minutes all he could do was reflect in the dark on the rapture he'd just experienced. He would have to move now if he was going to save Schala but he felt like all the strength had left his body. I will save her he thought and as if hearing him his sister leaned over him and gave him a small peck on the lips before leaving a trail of kisses down his neck. She murmured what could have been words of affection in his ear, but his mind was already going hazy and gray, and before he could even make sense of them he was fast asleep.  
  
  
  
It was an overzealous morning bird that woke him up. Dawn was just beginning to break over the ridge of trees, light enough to see but too early for anyone but a farmer or a guard on night watch finishing his shift. Magus rubbed his eyes to find Schala was gone.  
  
“Schala? Schala!?” No answer. Magus remembered where he was and stopped bellowing, instead jumping out of bed. In less than a minute he had checked the room top to bottom, the bathroom, the balcony and the grounds immediately below it, even the empty hall, but she was nowhere to be found. He threw on his cloak and was just about to go tearing off when he saw a letter on the desk addressed to him. There was an amulet inside it. Magus had a moment of alarm before finding his once again in his pocket. It wasn't the same one either, he'd seen Janus wearing the original so he set it aside.  
  
  
_My dear Magus,  
  
I'm sorry for casting a sleep spell on you, but I couldn't have you follow me. Or doing that thing we talked about. I know you want the best for me, but if you love me, truly love me, you'll respect my wishes. There are some things I just couldn't live with, please understand.  
  
I know I don't really know you, but somehow, I feel like we've always known each other. I love you more than my heart can bear and I don't even know where it comes comes from. I know what we have isn't love the way we think of it, but maybe it's the kind you described to me that night. It's hard for me to find the words to tell you all you mean to me, but I love you, even if I don't fully understand it.  
  
No matter what happens to me, know that it was worth everything to me to make both our dreams come true just for one night. If things go wrong for me in Algetty-_  
  
That last line was scratched out, and Magus traced his finger over it thoughtfully.  
  
_I hope we'll see each other again. Last night was wonderful. You are wonderful.  
  
-Schala_  
  
  
Magus read the letter, reread it, and when he was satisfied that every word was etched into memory he magically ignited it between his fingers. The fire made quick work of the thin sheet until Schala's heartfelt words were nothing but black ash. He would have kept that letter forever but he couldn't risk anyone else reading it. Numbly Magus set the amulet on the center of the desk and stared at it for a long time. Prying it open even a fraction of an inch was an effort, part of him didn't dare open it, but with a deep breath he finally found the nerve. His sister smiled up from the amulet, but it was a different picture. It wasn't Janus' amulet. She had given him her love twice in a lifetime.  
  
Morning was coming rapidly, and soon the palace would be waking. Schala was on the surface and they would be finding her gone by now if they hadn't done so already. It was time to go back before he was branded a rebel as well. Magus briefly considered going against her wishes and taking out Zeal and Dalton anyways, but after the letter he couldn't do that. There was no point in following Schala either. She must have known deep down he would never go along.  
  
Magus slipped the new amulet over the old one, feeling the twin pieces of cold metal against his skin doubling his resolve before clasping his cloak. He would tell them where she was if they asked, but he doubted they would. All they would have to do is lean on one of Schala's friends hard enough, a little torture is all it would take. Once Dalton had a few of the pieces it would be easy to figure out she was going to Algetty, where else could she go?  
  
He stepped out onto the balcony to greet the sun rising on the last days of Zeal with grim stoicism. This would all fall if he did, and if that was his fate after everything, he could do nothing but laugh. There was nothing left undone in this world now, and he had no regrets. He would save his angel from falling, and in life or death, they would be together again. Concentrating, Magus levitated off the balcony before flipping his cloak behind him and flying off towards the palace, leaving the melancholy room forever behind him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_Authors notes: That word count, I wrote Treasure Island! You could do a book report on my lemon. It's not LOTR size, but still, as Peter Jackson'll tell you, it's hard cutting that dwarf singing. I could have ended this after chapter 1, but I had all these left over scenes and I hate cliffhangers. It's uneven as hell, and OpenOffice was terrible for editing, but hopefully you still enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. Chrono Trigger is my favorite game and these are my favorite characters so I had to do them justice. Still glad it's over, I don't want to write something that long again.  
  
I tried keeping it semi-serious for a lemon, the chapter quotes helped keep me grounded, if you got all of them I'll give you 5 silver points. We didn't get to do Marle, Nagaettes, or even Chrono's mom, because fair's fair but oh well. I might do some one off sequels, but can't promise. If anyone wants to write or draw something based off this, feel free, I'd love to see it.  
  
I also had two pics of Zeal commissioned for the fic by Miycko, you can see them on my Hentaifoundry profile, also linked to my Adult Fanfic, so be sure to check those out too!  
  
  
  
Next chapter: We're done, go have a beer! Keep an eye on my page though, because I'll be writing other fics._


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